Andy's Girls
by dibdab4
Summary: The roller coaster of life after retirement... A mostly happy look at domestic life for a healthy Sharon (sharp turn taken health-wise after St. Joseph's Three) and Andy. Some angst and challenges ahead, but mostly just good times and new joys for these sweethearts. Hop on the fluff bus with me if that's your cup of tea. (Warning: a little language and some vertical tangoing)
1. Chapter 1

Hello! Well, sometimes you see a random photo on Pinterest and then you write a 7K word chapter establishing a slightly AU version of Sharon, Andy, and friends that has nothing to do with crime (well, mostly) and everything to do with their life after retirement. Fair warning: this is fairly fluffy and a little sexy. If you like cheeky, sweet, mostly happy stuff, I thank you in advance for hopping on the fluff bus with me

We start out a couple of years post season 6, with things having taken a sharp turn for happiness after the pacemaker was implanted.

Not my characters and all that jazz…

* * *

"Not so fast, buster."

Sharon Flynn was stretching to reach the cantaloupe that had escaped its reusable shopping bag confines and now rested in the far corner of her Volvo station wagon's way-back when she felt the warm hand of her husband rub between her shoulders.

"Hey, babe, who you talking to?"

"I was talking to the rogue cantaloupe my husband specifically asked me to buy for him."

"Here, let me." Andy slid his hand down her back and around her waist before retrieving the melon and then kissing her neck. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"I aim to please." She took the melon from him and then returned his kiss with one to his lips. "What are you doing home? I thought you were going to the batting cages?"

"Um, yeah…nah. I didn't make it. Here. I got these," he assured her as he tucked his hand under the straps of the bags. "Why don't you go in and get comfortable and I'll put this stuff away and pour you a glass of wine."

It wasn't unusual for her husband to step in and help with household chores, nor was it strange for him to offer to pour her a glass of wine, but there was something about the pitch and tempo of his speech which piqued her curiosity.

"Why didn't you go?"

"I just…I got sidetracked."

"Everything okay?" She gave the belt-loop of his jeans a gentle tug as he reached up with his free hand to push the button to close the hatch.

Clearing his throat, Andy didn't turn to look at her, his focus on the closing door. "Yeah, fine."

Watching him lift his chin and then give his head a quick tilt, a patent Andy Flynn-tell, she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips as she studied his profile. "Andy, come on, what's up?"

"Nothing, I told you I just got sidetracked."

"Sidetracked by what?"

"Stuff."

"Is this what we have to look forward to for the rest of the evening? Me asking a million questions and you giving one-word answers?"

A disagreement right-off-the-bat was exactly how he did not want the evening to start, and so with more than a bit of reluctance, he finally admitted, "Look, okay, yeah, the something, or actually _somethings _that sidetracked me, we do need to talk about, but they'll keep until after you change and relax for a bit." He began to make a move towards the walk that connected their drive and the front porch of their spacious California Craftsman, but was halted as she suddenly stepped in front of him.

"What is it? Is it one of the kids? Provenza?"

"Provenza?" Andy gave a grunt of amusement. "No, no. Everyone's fine. Let's go in."

She stayed planted, her hands on her hips as she forced the issue.

"Honey, I promise. It's not a bad thing, er, _things_. It's something we've…look, just, please, let's go inside and get comfortable."

Her eyes still narrowed in his direction, she inhaled deeply before stepping aside and letting him pass.

* * *

"Something smells odd in here."

Wrapping her cream cashmere cardigan tightly around her body, Sharon leaned against the arched entry that separated their large family room and the spacious kitchen around which Andy was shuffling as he put away their groceries.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight of his beautiful wife in the soft knit which she wore over a simple white tank and pale gray silk lounge pants, her feet bare, and her hair gleaming with red highlights from the setting sun coming through the windows that lined the far side of the family room. "Hello, beautiful girl."

His term of endearment earned him a small grin, but it soon shifted to a frown as she began looking around the kitchen for any clue to what her husband was keeping from her.

"Here you go." He turned back to the refrigerator to retrieve the glass of wine he had poured her a few minutes before.

She met him half-way and took the glass of Chablis, but not before sniffing dramatically as she continued to look about the room. "Seriously, what's that smell?"

Turning his back to her, Andy gave a quick shrug. "I don't smell anything. Maybe it's your sweater."

"Oh, it's not me. It's in the house. I smelled it in the family room and it's in here." She made a move toward the laundry room door, but Andy quickly stepped in front of her.

"Hey, look, let's go out on the patio. I'll grab some lemonade and meet you out there and we can decide what to do for dinner."

Stepping into his space, she moved onto her toes to look over his shoulder. "What's in the laundry room, Andy?"

"Two big machines and some soap?"

Unable to hold back a grin, she gently grabbed the front of his gray t-shirt. "You are hilarious, now stop messing around and tell me what you're hiding."

"There's nothing in the laundry room. Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout."

"Cop's honor."

She raised her eyebrows before snorting.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, okay, I'll make you a deal. You like deals, right?"

"Fine. If that's what it takes. What you got, Lieutenant?"

Leaning down he kissed the tip of her nose before offering, "You take your wine and go out on the patio and I will show you what's in the _garage_. See? I wasn't lying about there being nothing in the laundry room."

"What you're going to show me, is it the source of the smell?"

Andy tilted his head. "Maybe, although I really don't smell anything. Now go on." He moved his hands to her shoulders and gently prodded her to turn around before giving her a tender push. "Go on, sweetheart. I lit the fire pit just before you got home. Go get settled and I'll be right out."

Sharon looked over her shoulder and gave him a doubtful look.

"It's a good thing, er, things. Trust me."

Her shoulders slumping, Sharon begrudgingly trudged out of the kitchen and through the family room towards the patio doors.

* * *

"Close your eyes and don't turn around."

Andy stayed tucked back in the doorway as he watched his wife immediately sit up in her chair and turn around to look at him.

"You just did the exact opposite!"

Sharon couldn't help but laugh at the high pitch of her husband's annoyed voice. "Okay! I'm sorry!" She chuckled as she rotated back to face their swimming pool and the tall privacy fence that separated their property from their neighbors on the opposite side of the alley.

"Eyes closed?"

Lifting her arms, she made it obvious that her hands were moving to cover her eyes. "Closed. Promise. Cross my heart and hope to…"

"Don't finish that thought, lady."

Giving her head a little shake, she called out, "Sorry, honey. They're closed."

She could hear his flipflops crossing the paved stones of the patio as he got closer and she fought the urge to remove her hands from her face as she heard a light whimper that coincided with his setting something on the ground next to her chair. "What was that sound?"

"You'll find out in less than ten seconds. Now, keep your eyes closed, but cup your hands in your lap, please."

A little nervous, she did as she was bid, holding her breath as she listened to him step in front of her.

"Okay, here we go. Now don't freak out."

"Don't freak out? What the-?"

Warm. Soft. Wiggly. These were the three qualities Sharon detected as Andy carefully placed something very much alive into her hands.

"Andy?!" The sensation of not one, but two more warm, soft, wiggly things being placed in her lap stopped Sharon mid-sentence and her eyes flew open.

"Ahhhhh….oh my God!"

Kneeling in front of her, Andy reached out and scratched the head of the smallest of the three English bulldog puppies who were currently squirming in her lap.

"This is…what...is this a joke? Three?!"

"Now, babe, remember we talked about getting a dog now that we have the side yard."

Sharon stared at him in disbelief. "We talked _briefly_ about getting _a _dog more than a month ago…"

"I know, but you didn't act like it was out of the question."

"There are three dogs here, Andy! Three! And this was the smell! I smelled puppies!"

"Woh, take it easy there, Cruella de Ville."

"Yes, well, if I make a coat out of anything it's gonna be your chest hair, if you're not careful, buddy," she warned with a raised eyebrow before shifting her focus back down to her lap and shaking her head. "Three puppies. What on earth are you thinking? And they're tiny! Can they even be away from their mother yet?"

"No, but that's why they're here." He picked up the largest of the three before it rolled into the gap between Sharon's thigh and the right side of the woven chair.

"What do you mean?"

Nestling the puppy against his chest, Andy moved the chair to her left so that it faced her as he began to recount what had transpired in the previous five hours.

"I got a call from Mrs. Cleary…"

"You're old neighbor?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah. When I sold the house, I made sure she had my number before I left. I know she liked the sense of security it gave her to live next door to a cop, so she was a little miffed when I moved in with you…"

"Security? She had a huge crush on you. I got the evil eye more than once from her I seem to recall," Sharon teased as she carefully scooped a hand under each of the remaining puppies on her lap, fighting the urge to cradle them to her knowing how easy it would be to become enamored with such adorable little ones.

"Yeah, well, I don't think you have to worry about me leaving you for her. She's ninety-hundred years old," he returned with a smirk which earned him a chuckle. "Anyway, she has my cell number in case something comes up in the neighborhood and…" he looked down at the puppy which was being lulled to sleep by the rhythm of his heart. "…some_things_ came up."

One of the pups beginning to whine, Sharon's maternal instincts overcame her resistance and she soon had both dogs happily snuggled in the crooks of her arms as she sighed, "Well, go on."

"So, this mother dog showed up at Mrs. Cleary's a couple of months ago, very docile and sweet, and I give it to the old girl, she did all the right things. She took her to the vet to see if she had a chip, but she didn't, and she put up a photo of the dog with her number at the local grocery, but there were no takers, so she took her in and then suddenly she found herself with not only mama dog, but four puppies, as well."

"Four?"

He nodded, "I'll get to that, but anyway, she took good care of mama dog and the pups. You know, took them to the vet, got them shots, and all that, but then early this morning, she took mama dog out on a walk and a squirrel ran in front of them and Mrs. Cleary lost her hold on the leash and mama dog was killed when she got hit by a car as she ran out into the street."

Their jobs having acquainted them more times than she could count with children who had lost their mothers, Sharon moaned softly, unconsciously cuddling the puppies closer to her. "Poor babies and poor mama dog."

"Yeah, but at least from what Mrs. Cleary said, she didn't seem to suffer."

"Oh, still, but…okay, so why did she call you?"

"Because she's old and the puppies weren't weaned yet, so they'll have to be bottle fed for a few more weeks and she knew it would be too much for her to try to take care of all four of them by herself."

"So, she only called you to help out until they're weaned?" Unexpectedly she was filled with more anxiety than hope as she waited for his answer.

Andy took a deep breath before answering, "Well, yes and no."

"Oh?"

"These are the girls. Mrs. Cleary kept their brother. See, she was pretty attached to mama dog and I think having a dog provided her with a, you know, a sense of security, but even after they're weaned, she doesn't think she can handle four dogs, so she asked me if we would take care of the girls until they don't have to be on the bottle anymore and then try to find them homes." He bit his bottom lip as he waited for her to respond, but her focus was fixed on the drowsy beings resting against either side of her ribcage, their little bellies rising and falling as they slipped into sleep.

"Babe?"

"She didn't think she could sell them?" Her voice was soft when she finally responded.

"They don't have papers and…" Sharon's soft chuckle interrupted him. "Why are you laughing?"

"She knew you were a soft touch, that's why she called you, Andy Flynn."

"Soft touch?! What are you talking about? I used to eat dirtbags for breakfast!"

"Shhh!" she nodded towards the puppy in his arms. "Keep your voice down or you'll wake the baby." She waited for him to settle back against his own seat before adding, "You _are_ a soft touch when it comes to little old ladies and puppies, apparently."

"I'm not a soft touch," he mumbled, although the gentle way in which he stroked the puppy's head told a different story.

"You are. You're an absolute sweetheart, Andy. Why else do you think I keep you around?"

Mischief instantly colored his countenance as glanced up at her. "I thought it was for the mind-blowing sex and the fact that I take out the trash and recycling."

"Mmm…don't forget the foot rubs."

He raised his eyebrows twice, a knowing grin on his face before he pulled out some proverbial big guns. "Look, babe, we can call animal control and hand them over if you want. I'm not sure how long they keep dogs now before euthanizing, but they are pretty cute so they might find homes, and I'm sure they'd keep them in the same cage since they are sisters..."

Letting her head fall back, she sighed, "Andy…"

Knowing he had made a major dent in her armor, he gently admitted, "It's a lot. I get it. I mean, the feeding, house training, vet costs, and we'd have to fence in the side yard for them…"

Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes as she waited for him to stop listing the litany of cons in taking on the puppies before she countered with, "Right, but we are retired now."

Watching her closely, he cautiously agreed. "We are."

"And as you said we were most likely going to get a dog anyway now that we have this big yard."

"That's true," he agreed, careful not to sound _too _enthusiastic as he was certain he was witnessing her talking herself into keeping the pups.

"And," she looked down at the two in her arms and then over at the one in Andy's. "…they are so freaking cute."

A wide grin spread on her husband's face. "They really are, and they are so sweet. Really sweet." His slightly smug smile faded, however, as Sharon suddenly asked, "Why didn't you call me to meet you at Mrs. Cleary's once she asked you take the puppies? I was just running errands. I could have been there in no time."

Shifting a bit in his chair, he struggled to come up with a plausible excuse, but a gentle nudge to his knee from her foot forced his hand.

"Because sometimes you can be too sensible in situations like this."

Sharon let out a loud huff which made the puppies she held begin to shift and whimper.

"Shhh…You'll wake the babies," he teased as he repeated her scolding.

Pausing until the puppies settled, she returned her attention to him. "I'm _too _sensible?"

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't. Enlighten me."

Finding himself the subject of one his wife's infamous death glares, he was also well-aware of the playful glint accompanying her scrutiny, so he conjured a boyish smile in return. "Well, my dear, we both know you are much smarter and more analytical than I am…"

She cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow. "Stop sucking up and get to the point, Lieutenant."

"Okay. Fine. As much as I admire how level-headed you are, I just feel there are a few _rare_ times when impulsiveness and sentimentality trump rationality."

"That is the biggest bunch of hooey I have ever heard, Andy."

"Hmmm…says the woman who didn't think twice before taking in a teenage street kid and who married an alcoholic after another one put her through hell for nearly thirty years."

She took immediate offense at his statements. "Those were totally different circumstances. Rusty more than deserved a real chance to live in a good home and…"

"And?"

Knowing her defense was weak, she softly answered, "And I can't help it if I fell in love with you."

"Yeah?"

Sighing, she grinned. "Yeah, you idiot."

"I love you, too."

"Mmm…I know."

Slipping his feet from his flip flops, he gently tucked them around her ankles. "Soooo?"

"You know we're both going to get attached to them and there will be no finding new homes after their weaned if we decide to do this, don't you?"

Andy nodded, "I do. Soooo…"

"Soooo…you should probably take me to have my head examined." Taking a deep breath, she rolled her eyes before asking, "What are we going to name them?"

"Really, babe? You're sure?" Andy was quickly at the edge of his seat, his free hand reaching out to squeeze her knee. "I don't want you to feel pressured into this."

"Ha! You blindsided me by dumping ridiculously adorable fur-balls in my lap and told me about their mother tragically dying, and then painted an image of them being deserted in a steel cage and probably receiving a death sentence. You're right. No pressure."

He gave her knee another squeeze. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you are and how much I love you?"

Leaning back in her chair, she moved her feet to his lap. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hand over your puppy and start rubbing, buster."

"Yes, Commander." He quickly complied with her order. "By the way, could I interest you in some mind-blowing sex later?"

All three dogs in her arms, she arranged them so that their sleeping heads were tucked up just below her chin. "Eh, we'll see, but I definitely want you to take out the trash and recycling in the morning."

"Consider it done."

"And just to be clear, you are now and forever the designated pooper-scooper, my friend."

"Um, now wait a minute…."

"And you'll clean up any puddles- vomit or pee."

"Sharon…"

Pushing the balls of her feet against his tummy, she tilted her head, her lips pursed, and eyebrows raised. "Those are my conditions, sir."

Watching his wife's eyes roll back in her head as he pressed his thumbs into the arch of her right foot, he scowled. "So, you get to do all the cuddling and I get poop, pee, and puke?"

"And to think you thought it would take a lot of convincing to get me onboard. Funny, right?"

"Hilarious."

Shifting the foot he currently wasn't rubbing, Sharon applied some pleasant friction of her own to the seam between his legs.

"I love you, Andy Flynn."

* * *

They had quickly settled into a routine of sorts during the first few weeks of the puppies' stay. The babies each received a feeding at around six-forty-five in the morning, usually as Andy and Sharon shared coffee or tea as they watched the late winter sunrise from the glider on their front porch. The lunchtime feeding occurred around eleven and supper just before their own dinner in the evening. Per the vet's instruction, they started the dogs on puppy chow when they turned seven weeks and weaned them from the bottles by their eight-week birthday.

The girls thrived given their devoted care and became equally devoted to their humans, snuggling at every opportunity and responding to Sharon and Andy's voices which led to them being well-behaved with only gentle discipline.

"So where do you want it?" Rusty asked as he and Gus each held one end of a vinyl dog house which matched the color scheme of the Flynn's spacious bungalow as they waited for Sharon, Andy, and the now L.A.-residing Emily to step into the newly-gated side yard which had been designated puppyland.

"The far end, don't you think, babe?" Andy asked as he and the women stepped off the patio and into the grass; Sunny, the smallest of the three dogs in Sharon's arms, while Andy carried the largest, Ruby, and Emily cradled the middle-sized Bluebell, each dog sporting a collar in the color that coordinated with their name.

Gus and Rusty in from Austin for the weekend, their first visit since settling into their new lives as a sous chef under Michael Fojtasek at the highly-respected Olamaie and finally starting law school at the University of Texas, respectively, it would soon be a full family affair as they waited for Ricky to arrive from Palo Alto, as well as, Nicole and her family, and a possible appearance by Andy's son Pete for an afternoon barbecue.

"Yes, I think the far-side is good. Maybe closer to the corner." She pointed to a specific spot. "It's always shady there." Sharon stepped inside the gate and made way for Emily and Andy before all three set their panting cargo on the ground. "Alright, girlies, let's see what you think."

The quintet of humans watched as the pups began wandering over the freshly mowed grass, sniffing and bumping rumps as they explored the area until they finally made it to the doghouse, wandering in and out before all three disappeared inside for several minutes.

"You know Ricky is going to give you a hard time, Mom."

Sharon huffed in amusement. "When does your brother _not_ give me a hard time, Em?"

Wrapping an arm around her mom's shoulder, Emily explained, "No, but you're _really_ in for it this time."

"Why?" Rusty asked as he joined his mom and sister.

"Our whole childhood Ricky begged for a dog, but mom never allowed it and now she has three!"

"He had Dodo," Sharon quickly noted which drew laughter from her daughter.

"Yeah, a hermit crab that lived for three months. What was he going to do? Throw a toothpick to play fetch?"

Rusty, Gus, and Andy having joined in Emily's laughter, Sharon couldn't keep her own giggles at bay as she shouted, "Stop picking on me, Emily Jane!"

"Oh, mother, you just make it so easy sometimes. Okay, I'll stop, but I have to know how he reacted when you told him."

Sharon ignored her daughter's question as she moved to her knees to peer into the doghouse. "What are they doing in there?"

Emily's mouth fell open as she gasped, "You didn't tell him, did you?"

Sharon's head was inside the small house as she gave the flimsy answer: "It never seemed to come up."

"Mom, you giant chicken!"

Pulling Bluebell from the entrance of the dog house, Sharon moved to her bottom, leaning against the side of the small house as she scratched the happy puppy's tummy. "I am not a chicken. I just figured why get him all riled up over the phone…"

Rusty and Emily exchanged conspiring grins before beginning to flap their arms and make "bok-bok" chicken noises.

Gus and Andy couldn't help but laugh at their antics before retreating through the open gate en route to the house to retrieve some of the more durable dog toys and the burlap bed that had been purchased specifically to go in the dog house.

"Quit it, you two!"

Emily nudged Rusty. "Get your phone out so you can film him seeing them for the first time. It is going to be epic!"

"Emily," her mother growled which drew a playful bark from Bluebell.

Gracefully lowering herself on the ground to collect a newly emerged Ruby, Emily glanced down at her watch. "He's going to be here any minute, Mom, you sure you don't want to go put on a flak jacket or some other body armor or something?"

"I don't think you give your brother enough credit. He's a thirty-two-year-old grown-" Sharon was interrupted by a sudden shout from the vicinity of the patio doors.

"YOU GOT A DOG?! YOU SERIOUSLY GOT A DOG, MOM?!"

Ricky, wide-eyed and red-faced, suddenly appeared from around the side of the house waving a fabric knot toy above his head.

"You're right. He's super mature, Mom," Emily muttered which brought on a new bout of giggles from both her and Rusty.

Knowing the snickering suddenly erupting from her other two children would only serve to incite her older son more, Sharon shot them a threatening look and raised a finger to her lips as Ricky arrived at the entrance to the yard.

"OH, MY GOD! YOU GOT _TWO _DOGS!?"

Moving to her feet before passing Bluebell off to Rusty, Sharon hurried towards Ricky, her arms open to embrace him. "Ricky, honey, I'm so glad you made it here safely."

"Oh, we are _not_ hugging, _Mother_. I can't believe you have _two_ dogs!"

Reaching into the house, Emily quickly gathered up Sunny and practically skipped across the yard as she informed her brother, "Not two. _Three_. She has _three_ dogs."

"THREE?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!"

Death glare in full force, Sharon looked over at her smugly smiling daughter before her expression softened as she turned back to Ricky. "It's a long story, sweetheart, and we certainly hadn't planned on getting them, believe me. They are rescue dogs. We only took them in after their mother was hit by a car."

While certainly not instantly placated by her explanation, Ricky did take a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he watched his mom relieve his sister of one of the dogs before offering it to him.

"This is Sunny, and that's Bluebell," she gestured over her shoulder at the pup in Rusty's arms before turning her attention to the squirming one in Emily arms, "and this is Ruby."

"Oh, man. I still can't believe this. Ughh… They are so stinking cute," Ricky muttered as he reached out and took Sunny from his mother, his tone entirely changing as he cradled the puppy like a baby. "Hi, little Sunny. Oh, goodness. You have a fat belly."

Sharon let out a soft chuckle as she watched the pup scoot up Ricky's chest to sniff and lick his chin. "You love giving kisses, don't you, Sunny?" She reached out and scratched the dog's soft head. "They are good girls. They don't whine very much unless we are late feeding them and as long as you let them nestle where they want, they'll snuggle on your lap for hours."

"I still can't get over it. You have _three_ dogs." Ricky looked over his shoulder where Andy and Gus waited with the bed and container of toys. "How on earth did you talk her into it, Andy?"

Glancing past his step-son, Andy exchanged grins with his wife before opening his mouth to answer but was beaten by Rusty who wrapped an arm around Sharon's shoulder, smiling cheekily as he announced, "You know Mom. She can't say no to strays."

* * *

The barbecue was a huge success between the excellent food Gus and Andy provided and the presence of the new puppies who were absolutely exhausted by the end of the day having been constant centers of attention between Ricky and Nicole's step-sons.

"Look at them," Andy whispered as he pointed down at pile of puppies on the dog bed inside the large pen in the laundry room.

The last dish put away, Sharon wrapped her arm around her husband's waist as he moved his around her shoulders.

"I think I'm as tired as they are." Sharon's health scare just before they were married was a not so distant memory, and as much as she tried to ignore it, she knew he was almost constantly monitoring her well-being. "And before you ask, I'm fine. I feel healthy as a horse, honey, and it's been a great day. A long day, but a great day."

Pulling her to him, their kiss began chastely, but was deepening when someone behind them cleared their throat. Quickly parting, they turned to find Emily smiling brightly.

"Sorry to interrupt, guys, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Is everything okay outside?" Sharon craned her neck in the direction of the patio where Rusty, Gus, Ricky, and Pete were camped out around the fire pit.

"Oh, yeah. We're having a great time. I just wanted to grab you while I had the chance."

"I'll let you two have a minute," Andy offered, but was stopped by his step-daughter as he tried to pass her on his way out of the kitchen.

"No, Andy, I'd like to talk to both of you, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. Sure, Em. Let's go in the dining room."

Knowing how much it meant to Andy to be included, Sharon gave his hand a squeeze as Emily led them out of the kitchen and into the adjacent room.

"Everything going well with the new company?" Sharon asked as she and Andy settled on one side of the table with Emily opposite them.

"Great, yeah, really great. It's kind of odd not to be performing anymore, but I love the people and I'm getting to be creative in a whole new way."

"Oh, sweetie, that's great!"

"Yeah, and in addition to us winning that competition last week, I've got two industrial contracts for choreography in the next couple of months and I got a call to go in and interview for an adjunct position at UCLA for next fall."

"That is fantastic!" Sharon reached out and patted Emily's hand as Andy added, "We're so proud of you, kid."

Leaning back in her seat, Emily looked back and forth between their smiling faces, her stomach churning as she prepared to tell them why she had requested a moment of their time.

"So, yes, um, things are going really well, and I am so happy to be here and living so near you two and Ricky's not that far away and," she focused on Andy as she added, "Nicole and I are becoming really close. She's been so great since I got here. It's, well, it's really nice to have such a good friend outside of work."

"Ah, that makes me so happy, Emily," Andy whispered, his throat thick and heart full to know that their daughters had bonded.

"I mention it because she's been really supportive as I've been trying to make a big decision over the last few weeks."

Sharon's maternal instincts kicked in and Emily wasn't surprised when her mother shifted, her spine straightening. "A big decision?"

Emily nodded. "One of the biggest."

Picking up on Sharon's tension, Andy went into comforting mode, his right hand moving to her back to rub gentle circles at the base while he placed his other hand over the women's on the table. "It will be alright, whatever it is, Emily. You know you have our support whatever this decision is."

Her eyes filling with tears, she gave her step-dad a grateful smile. "Thank you. I appreciate you saying that because I will need you. I'll definitely need my mom, but I'm so thankful to have you, too, Andy."

Her patience wearing thin with worry, Sharon pressed, "What is it, honey? Are you really okay?"

"I am, Mom. I'm happy and getting settled and things really are going well. It's just…" Unable to stay in her chair, she pulled her hand from beneath theirs and paced down the short length of the table before continuing with her explanation. "I'm not in my twenties anymore and now that I'm not onstage all the time, I don't have to worry about staying at a certain weight or about my body being altered…"

Sharon and Andy exchanged confused glances.

"And I am not making any sense, so let me get to the point. I'm still figuring out the logistics, but like I said, I am fairly settled and I am financially stable, so I have decided that it's the right time to start trying to get pregnant. I want a baby and I'm going to try to have one, you know, on my own, and well, yeah, so that's…it."

Her fear instantly replaced by joy, Sharon was up and around the table, her arms wrapping around her daughter as she cried, "Oh my God, Em! Oh, sweetheart! That's wonderful!"

"You don't think I'm crazy?" Emily laughed as she pulled back and looked first at her mom and then over at Andy, as the women each wiped tears from their cheeks.

"Are you kidding?" Andy moved to join them on the other side of the table to pull Emily into a hug. "You'll be an incredible mom, Emily. How could you not? You've learned from the best," he added as he looked over and gave his wife a wink.

"And you won't be on your own. You know that, right? Whatever you need, sweetheart. You know we'll do whatever we can to help, won't we, Andy?"

"Of course. Anything, Em."

A million questions ran through Sharon's mind, but it was Andy who asked the first. "So, you mentioned logistics? What might they involve?"

Sharon gestured back towards the table and they returned to their seats as she asked, "A donor, right? You'll obviously need a donor. Do you have someone in mind?"

She wasn't surprised that this was their first question, so she was prepared to answer. "I'm using a service through the clinic, although I did think about asking one of my friends from New York, but I figure I have the artistic-side of the genetics covered and using this service I have found someone who balances that. The guy I've settled on has a doctorate in physics from Stanford."

Andy and Sharon exchanged looks of surprise.

Emily giggled at their reaction. "Yeah, I hope he doesn't turn out to be Sheldon from Big Bang, but he ticked all the boxes. I'll email you the profile so you can see for yourself. Nicole gave him her vote."

"Sure, honey. We'd love to see it." Sharon took a hitched breath before asking, "So, if you have a donor picked out, you must be doing this soon?"

Emily nodded. "I'll be ovulating in ten days," she glanced over at a squirming Andy. "Sorry."

"No, this is…important information. Go on."

Emily and Sharon exchanged amused smiles before she continued, "So, I'll go in then and they'll do the…you know, whatever it is they exactly do and then we wait a few weeks and who knows? Maybe I'll be pregnant by this time next month."

"So, the baby could be here by the New Year?" Andy's eyes twinkled as he looked back and forth between the women.

"It's not impossible," Emily admitted with a grin.

"This is so, oh my goodness, this is so exciting!"

Noting her mother's eyes growing moist again, Emily reached out for her hand and asked, "Would you come with me, Mom? To the clinic?"

"Yes! Oh, of course! Of course, I'll come. I'll clear the day."

"Sure, Mom, I'll get inseminated and then we can go get mani-pedis and smoothies."

"Emily, my goodness you are sassy today," Sharon grinned as she shook her head before adding, "but seriously, whatever you need. Doctor's appointments, shopping for nursery furniture, Lamaze classes…I don't even know if they do that anymore? Pregnant lady yoga classes? Whatever. Name it and I'll do it with you."

Emily managed an impressive poker face as she told her mom, "I was really hoping Andy would go with me to _pregnant lady_ yoga classes."

Joining in on the jest, Andy shrugged, "Hey, sure. I'm game."

Sharon let out an exaggerated sigh. "Comedians. I am surrounded by comedians."

"All kidding aside, I honestly didn't know if you would think this was a bad idea since I'm not... you know, since I don't have a husband, or a partner."

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Sharon refrained from pointing out that she had basically raised all of her children as a single mother, and instead, assured her daughter, "You are one of the kindest, most loving, and strongest people I have ever known, Emily Jane Raydor. You will be everything and more that a child would need."

* * *

It was nearly two in the morning by the time Sharon and Andy climbed into bed having made sure the fire pit was banked and all the doors were locked after Pete and Emily headed to their respective homes, while Rusty and Gus retreated to one guest room and Ricky climbed into one of two twin beds in the other.

"Oh, my goodness. I think I could sleep for days." Turning onto her side, Sharon rested her head on Andy's chest, her arm curling around his waist as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her head.

"Me, too."

A few quiet moments passed before Sharon noted, "We have had a house full of our children and puppies all day. It doesn't get better than that."

"Mmm…I don't know, I think adding a little baby to the mix is going to be the cherry on top."

"A baby." Sharon tightened her grip around his waist as she let the joy of Emily's news once again overcome her. "My baby is going to have a baby."

"You think she might consider moving in with us when the baby comes?"

She would have been lying if she said the thought hadn't crossed her mind but knowing how independent her spitfire of a daughter was she shook her head. "I hope she'll let us help her in any and every way, but I think she'll want to take this on, well, on her own terms, and I have to respect that."

"Yeah, I get that. I just thought that maybe since we have all this room now, and since she'll be on her own, well, I just thought it might be nice..."

"I think you might have a touch of baby fever, my friend."

"What?"

"Baby fever." Sharon shifted, her hand resting in the middle of her husband's chest as she lifted herself up to look down at him. "You are going to totally bogart this baby, aren't you? You are! I can already see it. You are going to spoil this baby rotten and its little feet will never touch the ground."

Chuckling, Andy lifted his face as he cupped her cheek, pulling her down for a kiss. "You're absolutely right. Toys, candy, Disneyland…this kid and I are going to do it up big, Granny."

"Oh, no." Sharon scowled. "Not Granny. I am not going to be called Granny."

Shifting again, they were now facing one another as they tangled their legs together.

"Okay, not Granny. What then? Nicole's boys call you Gran Sharon. Is that what you want to the baby to call you, too?"

"I don't know. I love that the boys call me that, but it's a bit of a mouthful for a baby."

"I always wanted to be called Gandy."

"Aw, Gandy? Gan-dee." She tested the word out and it made her smile. "That's sweet."

He gave a gentle, typical Andy shrug. "Yeah, you know Grandpa plus Andy. Nicole never really asked, and I'm fine with the boys calling me Papa Andy, but if I get to pick..."

Slipping her hand beneath his t-shirt, Sharon gently ran her fingernails through the coarse hair in the center of his chest. "I like Gandy. We'll make that happen."

Studying her lovely features in the moonlight, he suddenly asked, "How about Nana?"

"Nana." She listened to the way the word sounded in the quiet room. "I like it. Nana and Gandy."

"It's strange. I know we're plenty old enough to be grandparents, but we aren't ancient. I mean, when I think about my own grandparents, they were these hunched-over, pale, wrinkled people who sat around in undershirts and house dresses complaining about things and drinking bromo seltzer."

Sharon giggled, "My grandfathers wore those pants without belts…"

"Sansabelts," he quickly supplied with a grin. "I think Provenza has a couple of pairs."

"Exactly," she continued to laugh, "and my grandmothers fancied large floral-print dresses which only accentuated their large bottoms."

"Not you. You have a great bottom, babe." He slipped a hand down and gave her asset a squeeze to prove his point before asking, "But you know what I mean?"

"I do, but I'm sure they thought their grandparents looked ancient compared to them, too."

"My grandad was born in 1893. His grandfather was born in Ireland in the late 1860s. I don't think he made it to forty-five."

"Thank goodness for penicillin and polio vaccines, huh?"

Pulling her closer to him he kissed her ear and whispered, "And pacemakers and Lvads."

"Oh, sweetheart." She slid her hands around to his back as they held each other for a few moments.

He leaned back so he could see her face. "There will be no more beautiful or sexier Nana than you, I can tell you that much." His flattery was accompanied by his hand slipping over her thigh and pulling it onto his hip as he began peppering her neck with kisses.

"Sweet talk and neck kisses…it's almost like you have an objective, Gandy." She whispered as she slipped her hand from beneath his shirt and into the waistband of his pajama pants.

"Mmm…think I could interest you in a bit of mind-blowing sex, Nana?"


	2. Chapter 2

_We're just going to keep right on trucking along to about a year from where we ended the first chapter..._

* * *

"Just consider it. Please, Em. Just for my peace of mind."

Taking a sip of tea, Sharon leaned against the kitchen counter, her eyes landing on her husband's back as he scrambled eggs and fried turkey bacon for their breakfast, although she knew he was intently invested in the telephone conversation going on behind him.

"I know, and, of course, I'm still planning on staying with you at your condo for the first two weeks after the baby is here, but just for the next few weeks you wouldn't be at home alone in case you go into labor. Andy and I, or at least one of us, would be on hand to help you get to the hospital, and our house is ten minutes closer to St. Leo's than yours."

His back still turned from her, Andy lifted his free hand in a thumb's up sign to show he approved of her argument.

"I'm not saying tonight, but maybe this weekend you could come over?"

Andy looked over his shoulder just as his wife lifted a victorious hand in the air, a brilliant smile filling her face. "Oh, thank you, sweetheart! That's wonderful! I'll make sure everything is ready for you. Do you want us to come over and get you?...Right, of course…No, I know you aren't an invalid, sweetie. I just…okay…Of course, you'll need your car. I just thought we could…of course…Right…Okay. You come over whenever on Saturday and we'll plan on dinner that night…Love you…Bye, honey."

Leaving her cell phone on the counter, Sharon quickly crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her husband's middle, her cheek resting against the center of his back as she happily announced, "She'll stay with us until the baby comes!"

"Thank God. I don't think you or I would have slept a wink for the next few weeks if she hadn't agreed."

Leaning back, she patted a short, happy rhythm on his shoulder blades before stepping over to the electric kettle on the side. "I wish she'd let us go get her things. I hate to think of her lugging around a big suitcase."

Andy shrugged. "Pick your battles, Nana. At least she's coming over." He made them each a plate as she poured them fresh cups of tea before they made their way into the dining room. "You think the puppies are okay? It's a little chilly out this morning."

"They've only been out for fifteen minutes. I'm sure another twenty or so will be fine. We'll bring them in and cuddle for a bit after we eat."

Tucking into their breakfasts, Andy was lifting a bite to his mouth when a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Do you think Jack will try to come to the hospital when the baby is born?"

Sharon's stomach did a flip and she laid down her fork, her appetite immediately disappearing at the thought of her ex-husband. "I've been trying not to think about it."

"Which means you've been thinking about nothing else."

"You know me so well."

"He knows, right? I mean, he knows about that baby?"

Jack Raydor was a subject that was generally avoided, but Emily's impending delivery of their first grandchild had brought him out of the shadows as of late.

"He does. He showed up at Ricky's house in July, and he told him, and then he called Emily a few weeks later."

Andy wondered why he hadn't told her, but that question was answered when she added, "Emily only told me last week because he called her again knowing that she was getting close to term."

"Is he in the area?"

She picked her fork up again, but only used it to move around the food on her plate. "He's in Phoenix, or that's what he told Emily, anyway."

"Hmmm…well, I guess it's her call when it's all said and done."

Sharon leaned back in the chair, her eyes going to the ceiling as she reconciled herself with the fact that he was right. "True. It's just…I'm torn. I don't want him there for obvious reasons, but I also think he _should_ be there because he is her dad and it is his grandchild, too. At the same time, if she invites him and he doesn't show up, I'm not sure how I will keep from hunting him down and…and…"

"And?"

"And cutting off his balls."

The remark still hanging in the air, Andy couldn't help but flinch. It was rare for Sharon to employ such coarse language, but given the stakes of the situation, he understood her feelings. He had known the subject would be a touchy one, but he hadn't meant to get her riled up, and so attempting to diffuse the situation with humor he made a production of crossing his legs. "Woh. Okay, well, note to self: stay on your good side."

He achieved his goal by earning a smile and the promise: "I would never cut off your balls, darling."

"Can I get that in writing?"

* * *

"What can I get you?"

Sharon stood in the doorway of the larger of the two guest rooms at the opposite end of the house from the master, her very pregnant daughter tucked up in bed with a snuggling Ruby.

"Unless you can get this kid off my bladder or make my feet resemble something other than water balloons, I'm good."

"I'm afraid Missy Prissy here needs to be put back with her sisters or you'll end up with a puddle in your bed that won't be drool." Sharon crossed the room to retrieve the stout bulldog. "Come on. Let's go, chubbers."

Emily leaned her cheek against the pooch's head. "Don't listen to her. You're beautiful. We can't help it if we're fat, can we, Ruby?"

Sharon shook her head as she leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek. "You're not fat. You just look like someone stuck a basketball under your shirt."

"I _feel _like a whale."

"You're gorgeous and perfect and I love you."

Emily reached out to give her mom's hand a squeeze. "_You're_ gorgeous, and perfect, and I love you, and I know I was being a bit of a twerp about it, but I really am glad I'm here."

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Sharon began rubbing Ruby's impressive belly as she added, "Me, too, and so is Andy. You know, he puts on a jolly front, but he has been jumping six feet every time one of our phones rings thinking it might be you saying you've gone into labor."

"He's so sweet, Mom, and I still can't believe you guys bought that baby furniture and a swing. O, and all those toys!"

"Oh, that was all Andy Flynn. He, Louie, Julio, Buzz, and Mike spent all last weekend putting that stuff together and there's a fancy stroller folded up in our front closet. The crazy man even installed car seats in each of our cars!"

Emily giggled. "Are you kidding?"

"Oh, I am so not kidding. Mr. Flynn spent a good six hours online researching for the safest model and then showed me three Youtube videos about how to make sure the one he bought was installed correctly and then I got a ten minute lecture on why it's important for the baby to face away from the front of the car until it is one."

"Holy crap. He doesn't do anything by halves, does he, Mom?"

She placed a gentle hand on Emily's belly. "Not when it comes to his _little buddy_. You know I adore him, but the man bought a copy of _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ the day after you told us you wanted to have a baby, and it is flagged and high-lighted and he has been driving me up the wall constantly asking if I know things like the fact that it is the size of a tennis ball at this point, or a gourd, or did I know that a woman's feet can grown up a size and never return to their previous size after pregnancy. It is taking everything in me not to snap and remind him I pushed you two watermelons out of a hole in my body the size of a lemon."

"I hadn't thought about it like that…" Emily's eyes got big and she turned a bit pale as she considered her mother's words.

"Oh, Em, I didn't mean to scare you. Oh, sweetheart, you'll be fine! Absolutely fine. They'll give you an epidural so you won't feel anything below your waist and the fact that you're in great physical shape will go along way in making things go easily, I'm sure."

"I just wanted it to be over. I have all these stretch marks, Mom, and my boobs are huge. Oh my God, and I have a hemorrhoid! No one told me that being pregnant might make me have something hang out of my butt!"

Sharon nearly bit her lip to the point of bleeding trying not to laugh, although she felt tremendous empathy towards her daughter given that she had experienced these very same things with her own pregnancies.

"It's all part of it, honey. I'm sorry, but I promise you, the minute you hold that precious baby in your arms, you will forget all about the stretch marks and the hemorrhoid and a hundred other things."

"I hope you're right."

Sharon gave Emily's leg an affectionate squeeze. "The best, most important things I have ever done in my life were having you and Ricky and adopting Rusty. When they put you in my arms, Em, oh, my God, I…I don't know how to describe it. You were this perfect, tiny, precious creature and you were mine and I immediately knew that no matter what life brought my way, the only thing that was ever really going to matter was you. I felt the same when I held Ricky, and now with Rusty, even though you are all grown, your safety and happiness are always at the forefront of my concerns. I wouldn't have the life I love so much now if you and your brothers weren't a part of it, and there is nothing in this world that I would trade for having brought you and Ricky into the world."

"You're killing me!" Emily covered her face. "Quit making me cry, Mom! I think I have cried more in the last eight months than I have the whole rest of my life."

"Oh, sweetheart…"

"I'm sorry. You are being sweet and I am being an asshole. I hate this! This isn't like me. I hate not having control. I shouldn't be this freaked out!"

It pained her to see Emily so distraught, but she could also remember how terrified she had felt in the weeks leading up to her own first delivery. Clearing her throat, she gave her head a quick shake before announcing, "Take a deep breath. You're not an asshole. It's going to be okay, I promise. You are so strong and resilient and brave, my sweet girl, and I am going to be by your side the entire time."

Emily leaned back, a hiccup escaping her throat as wiped her red, swollen eyes. "Sorry. I'm so sorry, Mom."

"Shhh…" Sharon held her daughter, soothing her with tender circles rubbed over her back until Emily's teary hiccups settled into steady breaths. "You need to sleep, sweetheart." Giving Emily's cheek a kiss, she then stood from the bed and lifted Ruby up and onto the floor. "I doubt I will be able to hear you call out over Andy's snores, but I'll keep my cell on the nightstand so just call if you need any little thing, okay?"

"I love you, Mom."

"Love you, too." Ruby already trotting down the hall toward the kitchen, Sharon made it to the doorway before suddenly turning around and hesitantly asking, "Em, when it is time to go to the hospital, do you want me to call your Dad when I call Ricky and Rusty?"

She knew this conversation was inevitable, but as she and Ricky had done most of their lives, Emily had been putting off talking about her father with her mother. "I want him to know, but…" she let out a sigh before continuing. "I just don't think I want him there until after it's all over and the baby and I are home."

"This is absolutely your call, honey. Andy and I will be fine with whatever you want…"

"Mom, look, even if I thought he would actually show up, I don't want him there because it wouldn't be fair."

Sharon folded her arms and leaned against the doorway. "Honey, please don't do this because of me. Your dad, despite his…_flaws_, is still your dad."

Shaking her head, Emily raised her hand as she explained, "Dad never would have had his buddies over to put together baby furniture for his house or installed a car seat in his car or filled the freezer with the watermelon popsicles he knows I am craving. Andy did those things and Andy is going to be the grandfather in my baby's life so it's Andy that I want at the hospital, not Dad. Just you and Andy."

A new bout of tears threatening, Sharon didn't utter a word until after she moved back to the bed and climbed in next to her daughter, her arms instantly wrapping her girl in an embrace. "Then that's exactly where we will be."

* * *

Three weeks of swollen feet later and Andy's little buddy was still safe and warm inside its increasingly frustrated mother.

Watching through the patio doors as a frowning Emily paced around the patio with the three dogs trailing behind her, Sharon instantly melted against her husband as he wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed the side of her head to announce his return from a trip to the market.

"How was the appointment? Is Dr. Frazier going to induce her tomorrow?"

"Appointment went well, but no induction, so our little mother out there is not happy."

"Uh-oh."

"Yes. She's to the swearing point."

Andy chuckled at the thought of Emily going full-on Yosemite Sam. "Why doesn't the doctor want to induce?"

"Since she's only four days past her due date, and she is at least starting to dilate, and this is her first child, Dr. Frazier wants to give the baby the chance to decide when it wants to come."

"I don't suppose anyone slipped and referred to it as her or him did they?"

"Nope, and Em is sticking to her guns. She doesn't want to know until it is here."

He sighed, "Fine. I'll just keep buying yellow stuff."

"I think you've bought enough, Gandy."

"I know, I know, but you know what we don't have?"

"A healthy bank balance?"

"Ha ha, funny lady. No, we don't have a Boppy."

Sharon tilted her head to look up at him. "What in the world is a Boppy?"

"It's this pillow thing that looks like a donut with a bite out of it. Emily has one with frogs on it. I saw it at her shower. You wrap it around your waist while you sit and you can rest your arms on it while you hold the baby."

"You don't think Emily could just bring hers with her when she comes over?"

"I guess she could, but I really want my own," he caught himself and grinned, "I mean, I want one for us."

Letting out an amused but exasperated gasp, Sharon gave his cheek a gentle pat. "Fine. Get a Boppy, but that is the last thing we are buying until this baby is at least a year old."

Knowing that was not a promise he could make, Andy decided to change the subject. "So, you said she's swearing?"

"Ah, yes, well, about five minutes ago my beautiful ballerina announced, 'I am so fucking over this fucking shit!' before she stomped outside."

"Woh."

They both turned back towards the patio just as Emily began animatedly talking and pointing to her belly as she began another circuit around the swimming pool.

"Oh, little buddy, you better make an appearance soon or your mama's gonna blow a gasket," Andy whispered.

Laughing, Sharon pointed at the three dogs waddling behind her swollen daughter. "Look at those silly pups. She looks like a mama duck and her ducklings."

"Is it really okay for her to be moving like that?"

Sharon twisted around, her arms moving around his neck as she leaned back to look up at his concerned face. "It's good, actually. Dr. Frazier told her that taking long walks might help move things along."

"Oh, well that's good then! Is there anything else she can do?"

Sharon bit her lip, knowing what she was about to tell him would lead to cringing. "Apparently stimulating her nipples can sometimes encourage the labor to begin."

"Ughhh!" Andy stuck his fingers in his ears and scowled as he began singing, "Lalalalala…I didn't need to know that."

Playfully patting his chest, she leaned up and kissed him before apologizing. "Sorry, sweetie. I couldn't resist."

He moved his arms back around her, squeezing until she let out a groan. "Let's make a deal, okay? The only nipples I ever want to hear about are yours."

"Pervert," she teased which earned her a pinch on the bottom.

* * *

"You sure you don't want to come out with Patrice and me, sweetheart? We're just going down to the pier to have dinner. We could all take a walk on the beach after."

Sharon sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers gently combing through her daughter's hair.

Another six days of waiting weighing on her, Emily did her best to muster a smile as she looked up at her mom. "Thanks, but I'm walked out and I wouldn't be good company, anyway. I'm just going to go to bed early and pray that Dr. Frazier agrees to induce me tomorrow."

Sharon leaned over and kissed the top of Emily's head. "Alright, honey. I'll keep my phone on me if you need anything, and Andy and Louie will be here watching that western thing."

Moving to leave, Sharon suddenly turned around, a niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Or we could just order take-out and go hang out on the patio. I could light the fire pit. I'm sure Patrice wouldn't mind staying."

"No, Mom you've spent every night for the last two weeks cooped up with me. Go out with Patrice and enjoy yourself. I'll be fine. Like you said, Andy and Louie will be here."

"Okay, if you're sure?"

"Go, Mom, and give Patrice a hug for me."

* * *

"Ye Gods! Can you imagine living back then, Flynn? Walking into a saloon and Wild Bill Hickock himself is just sitting there playing cards."

Andy handed his friend a fresh beer over the back of the couch before returning to his place on the opposite side of the large leather sectional that filled up the center of the family room. "Yeah, but look at their teeth and can you imagine how bad everyone smelled? You had to bathe in a creek or a big metal tub. The lack of hygiene alone." Scratching Bluebell's head as the pup claimed her spot on his lap while her sisters peacefully snoozed on the large dog pillow near the patio doors, he lifted his glass of sparkling water towards the tv. "I wouldn't have lasted long in Deadwood."

"I can't believe you've never seen this before."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have HBO at my old place, and now I don't think Sharon would care for the language."

"Or the lack of civility and rules," Provenza noted as the two grizzled police detectives each flinched at the sight of two teenage grifters having the hell beaten out of them.

"True."

A stream of blue language filling the room fifteen minutes later, neither Andy, nor Louie immediately noticed that Emily was standing at the point where the hall to the guest bedrooms met the family room.

"Hey, Andy?"

Glancing up from the television, Andy's heart skipped a beat as he took in the sight of his step-daughter holding onto the wall with one hand as she bent over with the other pressed against her lower back.

"I either just wet myself or my water broke."

"Shit! Oh, shit, Em! Okay." Moving the dog from his lap, Andy was on his feet and rushing to her side as he called out to Provenza, "Louie, put the dogs out in the side yard and then meet us in the garage."

"Ye Gods! Okay, okay…come on, girls!"

His friend calling out the dogs' names and herding the reluctant trio onto the patio, Andy turned his attention back to a softly whimpering Emily. "Are you having a contraction now?"

"It doesn't hurt that bad right now. About an hour ago I felt the first pain and then a couple more, but they were just like those false ones last week so I thought it was the same thing, but then a minute ago I felt something warm rush between my legs. I went ahead and changed my clothes because I think we probably need to go to the hospital."

Andy wrapped his arm around her back, gently leading her towards a nearby chair. "Yeah, yeah we do. What did the liquid look like? Was there blood?"

"No, no. No blood."

"Good! Okay, that's good, sweetheart. Look, I'm going to grab your bag and the one your mom packed for us. Here. Here's my cell." He quickly pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her. "I put Dr. Frazier's number in my phone, so why don't you call her, and then your mom, and I'll be right back." Kissing the top of her head in the same spot her mom had before leaving two hours before, Andy jogged down the hall, an excited smile on his face.

Her hands shaking, Emily began to scroll through his contact list, stopping in the B's and hitting the icon next to the name "Babe." The phone only rang twice before a happy Sharon answered, "Hey, Andy. Everything okay, honey?"

"Mom, it's me. It's happening."

* * *

"Oh, my God! You stupid idiots! Get out of the way!"

Listening to the typically controlled Sharon Flynn yelling at the cars in front of her, Patrice braced her hands against the dashboard, wishing she had insisted Sharon let her drive them to the hospital as her friend suddenly merged into oncoming traffic and made a sharp U to send them in the direction of St. Leo's, her normal level of patience already worn thin from the fact that it had taken fifteen minutes to get out of the parking lot of the restaurant because of a fender bender that had blocked them in.

"We're only twenty minutes away, Sharon. It'll be okay. Louie just texted me that they are admitting Emily. They made it and we will, too."

"I'm sorry. I just…I shouldn't have ignored it earlier."

Patrice looked over her shoulder and noticed an opportunity for them to move into the next lane. "It's clear if you want to merge over to the right. Ignored what?"

Taking her friend's advice, Sharon moved over a lane as she explained, "Before we left, I got this feeling that we shouldn't go out, and I told Emily I was sure you wouldn't mind if we just ordered in and stayed home."

"Oh, Sharon, of course I wouldn't have minded."

"But Emily said to go. Dammit! Why didn't I listen to my gut?"

Doing her best to remain calm for her friend's sake, Patrice gently patted Sharon's knee. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Let's look to the future. Is there anyone you want me to call? Louie said Nicole is driving in from a dinner party in Santa Monica, so she be there in an hour or so, and Ricky is on his way from Palo Alto, and he got a hold Rusty, too. What about her dad?"

Sharon quickly shook her head. "We aren't calling Jack until after the baby is here."

"Gotcha. Okay." Grasping for some sort of distraction she asked, "Ummm…so, what is the baby going to call you guys?"

Sharon smiled for the first time in twenty minutes. "Nana and Gandy."

"Oh, that is so sweet! You know, Louie and I were talking about this very thing the other night."

Traffic now steadily moving, Sharon's shoulders relaxed a bit as she asked, "You and Louie were talking about what Andy and I are going to be called by the baby?"

"Well, not exactly. Louie was actually talking about what he wants the baby to call him."

Sharon laughed, the tension in her body fully releasing for the moment. "Oh, yeah?"

"I know. He's…something else."

"So, what does Lieutenant Provenza want to be called by _my _grandbaby?"

Patrice fought to keep a straight face as she answered: "Lou-Lou."

* * *

"Well, Emily, dear. I think we are going to meet this new little peanut in the next twenty minutes or so."

Andy holding her hand as Provenza stood out of the way in the corner, Emily immediately panicked at her OBGYN's announcement.

"No! No, we have to wait! My mom's not here and I haven't had an epidural yet!"

Panicked looks of their own exchanged between the men, Provenza quickly offered to go watch for Sharon and Patrice as Andy turned his attention to his trembling step-daughter. "Your mom will make it, Em. She will, and I'm not going anywhere until she does."

Another contraction arriving, she twisted in his direction, pulling him down towards her so she could bury her face against his chest.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry it hurts." Reaching over to rub her back, he looked up at the doctor. "She needs the epidural thing! The needle thing!"

"There isn't time. I'm afraid this baby is in too big a hurry. You're strong and healthy, Emily, and so is your baby," Dr. Frazier promised as she read the heart monitors for both of her patients. "And since you're at ten centimeters you're going to need to push on the next contraction."

Forcing her head up Emily gave Andy a pleading look. "Andy, I want my mom…"

"She's coming, honey. Any minute now." Glancing down at his watch, he exhaled deeply before looking up at the door and then back down at the prostrate woman below him.

* * *

"Go! Run, Sharon, and I'll park the car!"

Louie's text with news of Emily's swiftly moving labor led to the women making it to the hospital in record time and leaving Patrice with the Volvo, Sharon took off running into the lobby as quickly as her ballet flats would allow. "Room 232?!" She yelled as she rounded the corner from the elevators to the labor and delivery wing.

Before the startled nurse behind the desk could answer, Louie appeared from the waiting area, his hands motioning as though he was directing traffic. "The next to the last door on the left! Go! Go! Go!"

Tossing her purse in his direction, she barely slowed down as she passed him and yelled, "Thank you!" Skidding to a stop, she didn't even pause before bursting into the room to find her daughter red-faced and panting, legs in stirrups and Andy behind her, their hands locked as Emily let out a deep grunt.

"Oh, thank God! She made it, Em! I told you she would. She made it. Your mom's here, sweetheart."

"Ah, Mrs. Flynn! Pretty good timing." Dr. Frazier's smile could be detected beneath her mask. "If you want to step up here, you are just in time to see your grandbaby's head with this next push."

Hands over her mouth, Sharon took deep breaths through her nose as she fought to slow her heart rate on her way to the bed.

"Here, babe, here."

The contraction fading, Emily's face relaxed as she managed to look up at her mom just as Andy began to shift to vacate the head of the bed for Sharon to take his place, but feeling his grip relax, Emily tightened hers. "No, Andy, stay, please."

Fighting to maintain her composure, Sharon nodded at her husband. "Stay there, honey. I'm good here. I'll get to say the first hello." Reaching out, she began to gently rub Emily's leg as the doctor readied her for impending contraction.

"Here it comes, Emily. You need to bear down and give me a really good push. One really good one and most of the work will be done…Okay, push…keep going….push, Emily, push…Good job, that's so good, Emily."

Sharon let out a gasp, her hand sliding to Emily's ankle as she watched the baby's head appear. "I can see the head, Em! The baby has dark hair! You are doing such a good job, sweetheart. You're amazing, sweetheart. Good job, honey, good job..." Overwhelmed, she let out a teary gasp and whispered, "Oh, welcome to the world, little one."

Gentle turns and maneuvering on the part of the doctor resulted in the shoulders sliding out and within two minutes, the rest of the rosy being followed, the room filled with cries only moments after its airways were cleared.

"Well, Grandma, what do you see?" Dr. Frazier asked as she gently shifted the baby so that the genitalia was within view.

"A girl! Oh, sweetheart, you have a beautiful baby girl! A perfect, sweet, beautiful baby girl!"

It would be hard to tell who was crying harder, Andy, Sharon, or Emily.

"Emily, I am so proud of you. You did it. You really did it, kid." Andy whispered as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Andy. Thank you for taking care of me."

"It was my honor and privilege, sweetheart."

Sharon now at his side, he slid from beneath the new mother, giving his wife a quick kiss as he cleared the way for her to tend to her daughter while he made a bee-line for the far side of the room where a nurse was currently cleaning up and measuring his new granddaughter.

Giving Emily's foot a gentle pat, Dr. Frazier advised, "You'll need to push one more time to deliver the placenta, Emily, but it will be much easier than before. Your body will do what it needs to and then we'll get that baby in your arms."

"You did it. You're a mom, sweetheart," Sharon whispered as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "You're so amazing, Em. I am so, so proud of you."

"I'm so glad you made it, but Andy was wonderful, Mom. Really, really wonderful."

Glancing over at her still weeping husband, Sharon nodded, "Yeah, he is."

Using a cloth that was hanging over the bed rail, she gently wiped away Emily's sweat and tears as the nurses took similar care to the baby under the heat lamp a few feet away. After a few minutes, Sharon looked up to find Andy holding the newly swaddled baby in his arms, fresh tears falling onto her cheeks as she watched him whisper into the baby's ear before he crossed the room. "I have some people for you to meet, my darling. These beautiful ladies are your Nana and your Mommy."

The placenta now resting in a basin across the room, Emily pushed herself up with a bit of help from her mom before Andy passed over her pink and peaceful daughter.

The gentle weight in her arms, Emily took a staggered breath as the reality of the moment fully hit her. "You're really here. You're mine. You're here and you're mine." "Mom," she turned her head up to look at her mother. "Oh, Mom, you were right."

Sharon ran the tip her finger along the baby's soft cheek, her own pressed to Emily's head as she whispered, "I know, honey. I know."

Giving her baby's forehead a gentle kiss, Emily let out a teary gasp as she studied the gentle slope of the newborn's nose and the curve of her perfect lips. "My beautiful girl. You need a name, little one."

Reaching behind her, Sharon smiled as she felt Andy slip his hand into hers while she continued to look at her daughter and granddaughter. "Are you still leaning towards the name we talked about the other day?"

This being the first Andy had heard about name choices, he moved in closer to Sharon, his chin resting on her shoulder as he waited eagerly for Emily's answer.

"I am. I think it fits her."

"I think so, too," Sharon agreed.

"You guys are killing me. What is it?" Andy asked as he reached out with his free hand and pushed a loose lock of Emily's hair away from her face.

"What do you think about Annie Grace, Gandy?"

It took a moment for the relevance to hit him. "Annie Grace? Really? You…you're gonna call her Annie Grace?"

Emily gave him a worried look. "You don't like it?"

"Oh, wow. No, no! Are you kidding? I love it. It's perfect." Blinking away more tears, he fought to focus on the tiny being. "A perfect name for a perfect girl."

* * *

Leaving the three generations of women alone, Andy made his way to the waiting area where the Provenza's and his own beautiful daughter were eagerly waiting for news.

"Well, come on! Let's have it!" Louie's bark at him coincided with a hug from Nicole.

"Mother and _daughter_ are both perfect, just like the grandmother."

"A girl!" Patrice clapped her hands and then held one out as she waited for her husband to hand over a crisp twenty-dollar bill.

Nicole tugged on her dad's arm and asked, "How much did she weigh? How long?"

"She is very petite, just like her mom. Six pounds, two ounces and eighteen inches long, and I don't know if she'll be a dancer, but she can definitely sing because, boy, does she have a set of lungs on her."

"Does the little lady have a name?" Provenza asked, even his crusty demeanor softening with the news of the baby girl.

"Annie Grace."

Nicole and Patrice both murmured the name, a coo in each of their voices, but Andy's focus was on Provenza.

"Annie Grace? Why…" The old detective glanced down at the ground, trying to figure out why the name was so familiar. "Grace…wasn't that..?

Andy nodded, happy to have someone with which to share the significance. "The girl on the scooter. Grace Ann."

"Did she know?"

Shaking his head, Andy fought to keep his emotions in check. "She didn't. Sharon and I talked about it a long time ago, but I'm sure she never said anything to Emily."

"That's some coincidence, my friend." Louie asked before giving Andy a light pat on the arm.

"Yeah, some coincidence."

"Well, I have to say it is nice to be in a hospital for a happy reason for the first time in a long time. Now, if you'll excuse me." Louie had a spring in his step as he turned on his heel and started for the nurse's station.

"Honey, where are you going?" Patrice took a few steps in her husband's wake.

"To find the nearest gift shop," he answered without turning around. "I need to buy a balloon."

* * *

Ricky arrived a couple of hours later and Rusty called to confirm that he would be flying in at the weekend to meet his new niece. Much to everyone's unspoken relief, Jack had flown to the East Coast the day before and wasn't scheduled to return for two weeks, but he did request to Face Time with Emily and was able to see his granddaughter; a happy compromise in Sharon's books.

Nicole and Ricky taking turns holding the baby while Emily happily tucked into the In and Out burger her brother had picked up on his way in, Andy and Sharon walked Patrice and Louie to the main lobby, exchanging hugs before the couple drove Andy's car back to the Flynn residence to pick up their own.

"How does it feel, Nana?" Andy wrapped an arm around his wife's waist as he led her towards an empty bench on the far side of the lobby.

"Incredible. Amazing. Overwhelming. How do you feel, Gandy?"

"Like my feet haven't touched the ground since I got to hold her in my arms."

"How about that? You were the first person to hold her after the doctor. I'm a little jealous."

Resting his hand on her hip, he gave it a light squeeze before he teased, "Yeah, well get used to it. I'm pretty crazy about her."

"I'm sure it will be mutual, sweetheart. Nana-Rulebook versus Gandy-Never-Says-No. You'll be the favorite, I'm sure."

"Are you kidding? She'll adore you and she's got your nose, just like Emily."

Sharon wrinkled the aforementioned body part. "You think?"

"Definitely. She's going to be a beauty just like her mom and Nana."

"You're sweet."

"On you."

Sharon rolled her eyes before resting her head on Andy's shoulder as they settled against the back of the bench.

"So, you acted kind of funny about her name."

"Yeah." Andy wove his fingers between Sharon's before pulling her hand to his lips for a kiss. "I was just caught off-guard."

"Why?"

"You remember that case a few years ago? It wasn't long before Brenda left and you took over Major Crimes. That young girl on a scooter was hit right in front of me by that police commissioner's drunk driver wife."

"Oh, yes, of course, and you stayed with her and talked to her before she passed away, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I'm still in contact with her parents on the anniversary and at Christmas, but, well…the girl…her name was Grace Ann."

"Oh my gosh! Yes! I remember now. That's…wow. Oh, honey."

"Yeah. That's why."

Curling up closer, Sharon wrapped her arm more tightly around him and then placed a kiss on his chest. "I have it on good authority that you were wonderful tonight."

He shook his head. "I don't know about that. Getting her here was all I managed. Emily was the one who did all the work."

"You kept her calm, and you…you took such good care of her. Thank you." Fresh tears fell on Sharon's face as she wrapped her arms around his neck

"Oh, babe…"

"No, Andy, I mean it. Thank you for so many things. Thank you for the baby furniture, and the popsicles, and the car seats, and a million other things. You've been...you're just perfect."

Watching her curl into him, he kissed her head before gently murmuring, "You're thanking me? I should thank you for letting me be here. You've given me so much joy. Just so, so much joy, Sharon."

The late evening quiet in the high-ceiling room only served to amplify Sharon's sudden sob, startling him into gently pushing her back and lifting her chin so he could see her face. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

Fighting to catch her breath, she whispered, "I was just thinking I came so close to missing this. My heart…I almost missed this."

"Shhhh…shhhh…" He pulled her back to him, his whispers soothing her as he rubbed circles over her back. "But you didn't. You're here, we're here, and Annie Grace is finally here, and there's so much to look forward to. So much, my sweetheart. So very much."

"I know." She sat up, taking a deep breath as she removed her glasses so she could wipe her cheeks. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize to me. This is why I'm here. Like I told Em, it is my honor and privilege to share this day with you both. We've done the in sickness and in health, today is the for better or worse, and today is definitely the better, babe. In fact, it's the best."

"It is." Moving to her feet, she held out her hands. "Come on, Gandy, let's go love on our new grandbaby."


	3. Chapter 3

_The rest of the story won't jump ahead as much as the previous chapter and this one do… Fair warning: some unhappy news ahead involving the health of a reoccurring character. This is by far the least fluffy of the chapters, so far…_

_Thank you so much for reading and for the kind and lovely reviews. They are greatly appreciated._

* * *

"…one fell off and bumped his head! No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Emily and Sharon moved as quietly as they could, although it was highly unlikely their approach from the guestroom/nursery at the far end of the Flynn residence would be detected given the happy barking of three dogs, the giggling of a sixteen-month-old Annie Grace, and the singing of a sixty-six-year-old Andy echoing through the family room and kitchen.

The Raydor girls staying overnight given Emily's early flight time, the women had been unpacking the baby's things in preparation for her month-long stay with her grandparents.

They had just reached the arched entry that separated the kitchen and the family room when they heard the curly auburn-haired, green-eyed beauty say, "Again? Again, Gandy?" as she happily bucked against Andy's hip.

"Okay, my lovebug! One more time." He took a deep breath before he started bouncing her around the kitchen. "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed…"

Three little monkeys still jumping on the bed, Andy was almost completely out of breath when he noticed they were being watched. "Oh, thank goodness. Someone please finish this crazy song or I'm gonna keel over, or worse, my marinara is going to burn."

Emily quickly made her way across the room, smiling brightly with her arms open. "Come here, pickle! Let's take the doggies outside and let Gandy catch his breath. Come on girls! Ruby, Sunny, Bluebell, come on!"

Annie Grace now transferred to her mother, she looked over Emily's shoulder, her pudgy little hand pressed to her mouth and then swept out toward Andy and then Sharon as she blew them kisses before calling out, " Bye bye! Lah you, Gandy. Lah you, Nana."

"Love you, sweet girl!" Andy called out as he watched mother, daughter, and the three dogs disappear into the family room before turning his attention to the bubbling pot.

"She just got here and you're already out of breath." Sharon sidled up next to him, running her hand up and down his back. "Pace yourself, Gandy. We've got four weeks of singing and bouncing and swimming and playing ahead of us."

"I know. I'm just a sucker for green-eyed girls." Leaning over he pursed his lips for a kiss which his wife quickly supplied. "Not to mention that little giggle! It's addictive. I just love it."

"I know. Our precious girl."

"That she is." He moved his marinara from its hot burner to the cool one next to it. "Give me fifteen minutes to get the noodles done and we're good to go."

Wanting to make Emily's last dinner special before she left for the start of her company's tour, Sharon decided to set the table on the patio so the quartet could enjoy the pretty May evening weather.

"Ooh, alfresco. Fancy," Emily called out as she closed the gate that kept the baby in with the dogs, so she could take the few steps away from the side yard that would allow her to see Sharon. "I think it's warm enough that I will just strip Miss Thing here down to her diaper. We can just hose the little spaghetti monster down afterwards."

Sharon laughed as she began laying down the plates. "Good plan. The girls will happily clean up whatever ends up on the ground around the highchair. Andy doesn't like them to have people food, but a few loose noodles won't hurt." The last plate down, she turned and leaned on the table, slightly hesitant to bring up the subject of Emily's leaving. "What time do you need to be at the airport, honey?"

"Seven, but I'm going to Uber, Mom. There's no need for you or Andy to get up."

Sharon made her way from the patio insisting, "I don't mind, sweetie. You know I'm an early riser."

"Then we can share a cup of coffee before my Uber gets here."

"Em-"

"Mom, just..." she glanced over her shoulder, a teary smile forming as she watched Annie Grace wrap her arms around Ruby's neck and coo, "Lah you, Booby. You goo girr, Booby."

"Oh, honey," Her own eyes filling with sympathetic tears as she watched her daughter struggle, Sharon quickly moved to Emily's side and pulled her into her arms. "Shhh…oh, sweetheart."

"How am I going to do this, Mom? I miss her already."

Sharon remembered her own struggle with simply dropping her own babies at the church daycare; she couldn't imagine how Emily must feel knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold her child for two weeks and then for only a couple of days before leaving for another two weeks.

"We'll Skype or Facetime whenever you want, honey. I'll have my phone and Ipad with me no matter where we are and we will stop whatever we are doing so you can see her, okay? And I'll want to see your sweet face, too. I've gotten pretty used to having you around. I'm going to miss you so much."

"Me, too."

"Nana! Mama! Hold you? Hold you, Mama?" Eat? Eat Gandy sketti?" Annie Grace had her face pressed against the bars, her chubby little arms held above her head.

Emily looked away from her daughter, wiping her nose and eyes quickly as the little girl called out to them.

"Here, pooh bear, Nana will get you," Sharon forced a smile onto her face as she let go of Emily and stepped into the side yard. "Oh, my beautiful girl, are you hungry? Nana's hungry. Gandy has made us some yummy sketti! But first, let's go wipe all the puppy dog off you." Lifting the toddler into her arms, she placed a kiss on the side of her curly head. "Ewww! You smell like a puppy dog, baby."

Giggling, the little one mimicked her grandmother's high-pitched "Eww!" before reaching a hand out towards her mother. "Hode hands, Mama."

Fresh tears filled Emily's eyes as her daughter parroted the directive she herself so often issued. "Okay, pickle, let's hold hands." Leaning over she kissed the baby's cheek, a teary chuckle escaping as she added, "Nana's right. You do smell like a puppy dog."

* * *

"Hey, babe. Em get off alright?"

Slipping out of her robe, she quickly apologized, "Oh, sorry. I was trying not to wake you." Climbing back into bed, she quickly moved to the middle and wrapped herself around her husband's warm body. "She did. There were tears, but luckily Annie Grace didn't wake which helped."

"I would have taken her to the airport."

She eased herself onto his body, her thighs straddling one of his as she kissed his chin and whispered, "I know. I tried to get her to let one of us drive her, but I think she wanted to avoid a teary goodbye at the terminal."

He began running a hand up and down her back as he asked, "How do you think the lovebug's going to take it when she wakes up and Emily's gone?"

Sharon rested her cheek against his chest. "Not sure. She's been fine when she's stayed with us before without Em, but I think she's going to start asking for her mama when she gets sleepy, maybe not tonight, but tomorrow or Monday. I thought we might distract her today with a walk down to Bella's for breakfast," she offered, knowing the promise of the diner's veggie breakfast burrito would please him. "We could take the dogs and sit on their patio. That girl loves her some Bella's pancakes."

"Sounds great, and then we're going to the zoo, right?"

The excitement in Andy's voice made her laugh. "Yes, and then I am taking both my kids to the zoo."

"Oh goody!" he reached down and patted her bottom, her position against his bladder something he could no longer ignore. "As much as I love being under you first thing in the morning, I am afraid my bladder doesn't."

Sharon rolled off his body but reached out and pinched his bottom as he rose from the bed.

"Hey! Careful with the merchandise, lady."

"Mmmm…hurry back. We should have at least another hour in bed if Missy Prissy stays on her schedule."

He was back in less than two minutes and stopping at the end of the bed was delighted to find his wife had used the time to pull her nightgown over her head, their duvet covering her chest enough to reveal a few inches of cleavage.

"I take it you aren't interested in spending the next hour sleeping?"

Sitting up, she let the blanket slip so that her breasts were barely covered. "Nope. Now, hurry up and get naked."

"You know, you're kinda bossy."

"Yeah? Well, you're kinda wasting time."

Slipping his boxers down around his ankles, he pulled his gray t-shirt over his head before suddenly pulling up the blankets at the end of the bed and crawling up the length of her body, drawing giggles from her as he playfully growled on his way.

"Quiet, you goofball! What's gotten into you?"

Kissing each of her breasts, he looked up long enough to explain, "I'm just happy. I am on top of my very gorgeous and very naked wife and I get to spend the day with her and my other favorite person on the planet. What can I say? It's a good day to be Andy Flynn."

"You know? You're very sexy when you say sweet things like that."

Winking at her, he then slipped beneath the covers and soon had her legs resting over his shoulders, his smile brushing her inner thigh as she began panting his name.

* * *

"What does the monkey say?" Sharon smiled up at her granddaughter who began making "ooh-ooh eeh-eeh" noises from where she was perched on Andy's shoulders.

"Clever, clever girl. And what does the lion say?"

"Rowwwwrrrrr!"

"Ooh! That's might lion!" Andy gently tugged on the baby's ankles, Giving his wife a wink before asking, "What does the Gandy say?"

A bright smile forming, Annie Grace patted the white hair in front of her. "Lah you, lahbug."

"Aww, yes. The Gandy does say, 'Love you, lovebug." Sharon tickled the baby's back as she leaned up and kissed Andy's cheek.

A mischievous grin on his face, Andy tilted his head and asked, "You know what the Nana says, lovebug? She says, 'No! No! No! Rules! Rules! Rules!"

"Uh!" Sharon gave his side a playful pinch as they approached the penguin exhibit. "That is_ not_ what the Nana says!" Turning her attention up to a grinning Annie Grace, she asked, "Tell Gandy what the Nana really says, baby."

"Lah you, anjah baby!"

Sharon stuck her tongue out at her husband before lifting her arms up to the toddler. "That's right. Come to Nana, _angel baby_, and we'll see if we can get a little closer to get a better look at these funny little guys over here."

Now free of his precious cargo, Andy stayed by the stroller, smiling as he watched his beautiful girls, Sharon in a navy blue knit jump suit, her lovely legs on display in shorts, and Annie Grace in a navy and white polka-dot bubble suit, make their way through a small crowd; grandmother animatedly talking to the wide-eyed, brightly smiling baby as she pointed out various tuxedoed birds among the rocks and in the moat of water in front of them.

"You're one lucky bastard, Andy Flynn," he whispered to himself, grinning happily until he noticed a mother and father in their late twenties or early thirties standing several feet away with their son of around six and a slightly older daughter who were pushing and hitting one another as the father stared at his phone and the mother tried in vain to separate the two until she ultimately grabbed each of her children by an arm and dragged them in the opposite direction while the father slowly trailed behind, his eyes never leaving the screen of his Iphone. Watching until the family disappeared, Andy felt an uncomfortable pang in the pit of his stomach and his happy mood shifted to one of melancholy.

"We're getting hungry. How about you?"

His gaze still on the direction in which the woman had taken her children, it wasn't until Sharon reached out and squeezed his hand that he realized she and Annie Grace had returned from the penguins.

"Honey?"

"Oh, hey. Sorry."

She shifted the toddler to her left hip so she could lift her right hand to cup his cheek. "You feel alright?"

"Yeah, just…yeah. I'm fine."

A gentle smile on her lips, she held his gaze for a moment before pulling back her hand. "We're hungry. You want to go get something to eat?"

Tickling under Annie Grace's chin, he agreed, "Yeah. Sounds good."

Helping her get the toddler situated in the stroller, he then moved behind to push, but was stopped as she placed her hand on his arm. "You really okay? Want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later." He forced a smile to appease her, although he was quite certain she knew it wasn't genuine. Thankfully, Sharon didn't press, and they were soon headed towards the food section of the park.

* * *

Louie: "Okay, Annie-bananie, say _habeas corpus_."

Annie Grace: "Hay-bus cor-bus."

Andy: "Say _jurisdiction."_

Annie Grace: "Jurisdishun"

Louie: "Say _miranda rights."_

Annie Grace: "Uhranna rice."

Andy: "Say _freeze dirtbag!"_

Annie Grace: "Free dirrbag!"

"Andrew Flynn and Louis Provenza!"

Sharon was in full Darth Raydor mode, hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed as she stood at the edge of the swimming pool, her sudden appearance startling both men who stood waist deep in the pushing a floaty-supported Annie Grace back and forth in the water as they amused themselves by having the toddler repeat multi-syllable words and phrases.

"Would someone care to explain why my precious grandbaby is shouting the word _dirtbag_ at the top of her little lungs?"

Louie looked back and forth between his friend and former boss before pinching his nose and disappearing beneath the water.

Annie Grace patted her little hands on the water as she called out, "Where go, Lou-Lou?" as Andy shook his head and muttered, "Oh, sure. Desert me in my time of need, Provenza."

"Hi, Nana!"

Sharon gave the baby a sweet smile, "Hi, angel baby," before turning her attention back to Andy and a newly emerged Provenza. "I'm waiting, gentleman."

"It was all in good fun, babe. I promise she won't remember any of these words."

She cocked an eyebrow and gave them a doubtful look. "Yes, well, I will remind you of that promise when she calls some other kid at the park a _scumbag._ Now, please bring me my water baby so I can get her changed for dinner. I set the skewers by the grill when you want to start cooking."

Andy made motorboat sounds as he pushed a giggling Annie Grace to the side of the pool where her grandmother waited with her favorite ducky towel.

Gently pulling the toddler out of the floaty's seat before wrapping her up in the yellow hooded terrycloth, Sharon cooed, "Here we go, my little ducky. Let's go take a quick bath and put on your pj's with Auntie P while Lou-Lou and Gandy cook us some yummy dinner."

Climbing out of the pool, Andy tossed Louie a towel as they watched Sharon and the baby disappear into the house.

"She's like a damn ninja. I never heard her coming and how did she hear that? I swear she's got bat ears. You're married to a bat-eared ninja." Provenza muttered as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"I told you to keep your voice down! Voices carry across water!"

"I wasn't talking any louder than you were and they may carry across water but not through heavy wooden walls and doors!"

"Look, whatever. Just mind your p's and q's or she won't let us take Annie Grace to the ball game on Tuesday."

Louie followed Andy towards the grill. "We have to take her! I bought her a little Dodger cap and jersey! We are going, Flynn!"

"We are! I'm just saying we can't get in any more trouble."

Pulling back the foil from the cookie sheet of skewered vegetables, chicken, and shrimp, Louie continued to mutter under his breath, "Only one Dodger dog….no nachos…don't forget the sunscreen…"

* * *

Carrying in a freshly bathed Annie Grace, Sharon had a ladybug printed onesie thrown over her shoulder and a fresh diaper tucked under her arm while she carried a bottle of Noodle and Boo lotion in her free hand as she entered the family room to find Patrice chuckling at the baby monitor on the table.

"What are they talking about now?"

"You know our husbands, the great intellectuals. They are debating who they'd rather be stuck on a deserted island with, Tao or Julio." Patrice twisted the volume nob down so that the men's raised voices were no longer filling the room.

Giggling, Sharon situated herself on the couch before quickly diapering her granddaughter. "Poor Julio or Tao to be stuck with either one of them."

"Right? Sticking that baby monitor in that planter was genius."

"Well, having set next to Buzz in Electronics for years, I picked up a trick or two."

"I wish you could have heard them after you and this sweet pea went back for your bath," Patrice lowered herself next to the other side of Annie Grace. "My husband thinks you are a bat-eared ninja since you caught them playing their little word game and they're worried that you won't let them take her to the Dodger game if they get in any more trouble tonight."

Sharon snorted as she gently laid the baby on the couch in front of her for diapering. "A bat-eared ninja. That's a new one, Louie! Oh, your Gandy and Lou-Lou are so silly, aren't they, pooh bear?" she sang in a light voice as she tickled the little one's chubby tummy.

Annie Grace giggled, "Tilly Lou-Lou!"

Patrice leaned over and kissed the toddler on the forehead. "He is so silly. Here, let me help." She held her hand out for the lotion which Sharon happily handed over. "You sure you're good with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum having her all afternoon? I worry about leaving my purse with Louie when I'm in a dressing room."

Chuckling, Sharon shrugged. "I think it'll be okay. They know the rules. All three of them have to wear sunscreen and re-apply every two innings and they are limited to one Dodger dog apiece and only one bag of cotton candy for the group. No nachos because neither of them need that much sodium, and everyone drinks plenty of water, and I made sure the seats are in a fly-ball safe area, and they aren't allowed to swear or argue and no bad-mouthing the other team."

"And they happily agreed to all that?" Patrice asked as she rubbed lotion along Annie Grace's left arm and hand.

"Mmm…I wouldn't say they were _happy_ about it. There was a bit of grumbling and sighing…"

"A bit?"

Sharon laughed, "Oh, they were big babies about the whole thing, but when they come home from the game without stomach aches and sunburned necks, I think they'll thank me."

"I admire your optimism, Sharon. I'm seeing Keisha Tuesday, so I know why I wasn't invited to the game, but why aren't you going? I know you love baseball." Patrice sat the little one up so Sharon could pull the onesie over her head.

"Ah, well, a certain ex-husband of mine has requested to meet me for lunch while he is in town this week and setting it up for while Andy and Annie Grace are otherwise occupied seemed to be a good plan."

"I see…"

"And I am sure you are wondering why he isn't seeing Annie Grace, and that is a complicated subject, but suffice to say, he assumes that she," Sharon leaned forward and kissed the top of the baby's head, "is with Emily on tour."

Patrice nodded. "Gotcha."

"And given the fact that he has seen has only seen her twice since she was born, the last time being more than six months ago, I don't feel the need to correct his assumption. She doesn't know him from Adam, and I don't want to confuse her, and you know how much she adores Andy. I don't think Jack would handle it well if he came to the house and had to witness it firsthand."

Pulling Annie Grace into her lap, Patrice cuddled her to her. "It's none of my business, and I don't know Jack, but I just have to say that I cannot understand how anyone with children as great as yours and a sweetie pie like this for a granddaughter could stay away from them like he has."

Sharon reached over and took her granddaughter's hand, kissing her pudgy fingers before admitting, "You and me both, Patrice. You and me both."

* * *

"She okay?"

Two days having passed since the trip to the zoo and dinner with the Provenza's, it was the first time since their granddaughter had started staying with them that she had woken in the night calling for her mother. Andy had volunteered to get up and within fifteen minutes he had the baby calmed down and back to sleep with little fuss.

He flipped off his bedside lamp before sliding under the covers and immediately spooning his wife's warm body. "She's good. I think she woke up because she got cold. She'd kicked her covers off and was wet so I changed her before we rocked."

"I heard you singing my song to her." She hummed a little bit of Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way" before he began softly singing in her ear, "…she lifts me up when I'm feeling down…inspires me without a sound…she touches me…I get turned around…"

"She's the only other girl you're allowed to sing that to, you know?"

"Oh, I know." He kissed her neck and pulled her closer to him.

A few quiet moments passed before Sharon softly asked, "The other day at the zoo, something was bothering you. What was it?"

Oh, nothing worth bothering you about."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

Andy sighed deeply before admitting, "Leave it to me to find a way to screw up a perfect day."

"What do you mean? You didn't screw it up. It was a great day."

"No, yeah, I know, but in my head. I saw this family and the mother was struggling with her kids and the dad was just totally zoned out, you know, and I was thinking about how much I was like that guy when my kids were young. Sandra did all the parenting and I just…zoned out. I missed so much with Nic and Pete when they were as little as lovebug is. I mean, after the divorce I took them to the zoo a few times, and Disneyland, and Knott's Berry Farm, but they weren't babies anymore. Watching Annie Grace light up and squeal and clap, it's just…God, it's just magical. I love every minute we spend with her and I wouldn't trade this time for the world, but I can't help feel a little sad and angry with myself for missing those moments with my own kids."

"Oh, honey." She turned over and wrapped herself around him. "I get it, but you've worked really hard and you've made your amends. Please don't beat yourself up about it. Your relationships with both of your kids are in a pretty good place, right? Pete's met you the last three Fridays at the batting cages and Nic and her family are over here all the time. Think about now, sweetheart. Focus on the present, not the past."

He only sighed in response which prompted her to ask, "You didn't get to go to a meeting last week, did you? Isn't there a meeting at the church tomorrow at ten? You'd have time to go before the game. I can get Miss Priss dressed and ready and you'd be back in plenty of time to put on your game gear."

"Yeah, yeah. That's a good idea. Thank you." He gave her a lingering kiss before she turned over so they could slip back into their normal spooning sleeping positions.

"Should be good timing. I'm going to try to get our baby to have a restful morning so she won't be too grumpy at the game and I think Em has her lunch break at eleven so hopefully we canl Skype with her then. I don't know if it is as helpful to Emily, but Annie Grace getting to actually see and talk to her a couple of times a day is such a blessing. Three days in and tonight's the first time she's cried for her."

"Technology is an amazing thing."

"And yet Jack hasn't managed to find a spare five minutes over the last few months to check on his daughter or granddaughter."

Andy pulled her tighter to him as he felt her body tense. "I know. I don't get it, either, honey, but you can't let it get to you."

"I'm dreading tomorrow. What could he possibly want?"

"Money?"

Sharon shook her head. "He knows I'm a dry well in that respect when it comes to him."

"Maybe his luck has changed and he wants to gloat. That's usually the only time he bothers to show his face, you know, when he thinks his ship's come in."

"Mmm…and then it inevitably hits an iceberg," Sharon whispered with a sigh.

"What time are you meeting?"

"Not until 2:30 which is ridiculous. Who eats lunch at 2:30?"

He tried to soothe her with a kiss to her shoulder. "I'm sorry, babe. You know you don't have to go."

"No, I think it is better if I do. Depending on what he wants, he might show up here if I cancel and I don't want to take that chance. I'll just bite the bullet. It'll be an hour at the most and then I can look forward to spending the evening with my sweet husband and our angel baby."

"Kisses and cuddles," he whispered into her ear before giving her shoulder one last kiss. "We'll both give you lots of kisses and cuddles."

* * *

"Ah, there she is. As lovely as ever. Hello, Shar-ron."

Jack stood up from his seat, ever the gentleman as his ex-wife approached the corner of the bar and grill's patio in which they had been sat.

"Hello, Jack."

"Glad you could make it. Of course, your schedule is probably a little more flexible now that it's not all murder scenes and interrogation rooms at all hours of the day."

"Hasn't been for a few years" Settling into her seat, she took a good look at him, dismayed at what she observed. There wasn't detectable alcohol on his breath or odor of it emanating from his pores, but she was fairly certain he had been drinking recently given the dark bursts of broken blood vessels across his nose and cheeks. The sparkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by a dullness which matched his pallor. He also seemed smaller somehow, although she couldn't put her finger on exactly why. His belly was as bloated as she had seen it in the last few years, but his frame seemed to have shrunk. For some reason she couldn't get the word "diminished" out of her head.

A waiter promptly arrived to take their drink order and had taken less than five steps from the table before Sharon asked, "So, what is it, Jack? Why did you want to meet?"

"Wow. What, no small talk? Jeeze, Sharon, what happened to a little chit chat between friends?"

She had promised herself that no matter what version of Jack showed up for this lunch, she would not deviate from being anything less than civil so rather than pointing out that they were very much not friends, she simply nodded. "Fine. About what would you like to chit chat?"

He leaned back in the chair, his fingers nervously tapping on the table as he studied her. "Well, I don't know, just general stuff, I guess. Tell me about retired life. I heard a crazy rumor that _you_ have dogs."

She had it on good authority that the man hadn't contacted either of his children in more than four months and hadn't seen his granddaughter since before her first birthday. The fact that he was asking about her dogs and not Ricky, Emily, or Annie Grace lit a fire in her belly, but she was determined not to lose her cool in a public setting so she simply affixed a small smile on her face and answered, "Life is very good, thank you, and yes, we do. Three dogs. They just turned two years old last month."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Miss Perfection got _a _dog, much less three! All that poop and hair and mess…"

"They don't shed and we have a nice big back yard for them to run around. They are good, sweet girls."

"Oh, well, good, good…and Mr. Flynn? Retirement treating him well?"

She nodded. "Very. He's active with the local Boy's Club and he's going to help with one of his daughter's step-son's little league team next summer."

"Ah, well, who'd have thunk it? The great lothario has become Mr. All-American family man. You really turned him around, Shar-ron."

"I can't take any credit for the man he is, I just benefit from his hard work and commitment to being the best version of himself he can be for his family and friends."

Jack clutched his chest over his heart, "Woh. Point, aim, and shoot. Both barrels."

"I'm just stating a fact, Jack. How you decide to take it is entirely up to you."

He opened his mouth to argue, but the waiter made a timely appearance with their drinks and took their orders. Watching the young man move to another table, Jack's voice was low as he leaned towards her. "I don't want to fight, sweetheart."

"Please don't call me that." Sharon's request wasn't rude, but definitely pointed.

He lifted his hand in surrender. "Fine, fine. I don't want to fight, _Sharon._"

"Then what do you want?" She sipped her water as she watched him sink back into his chair. "Are you looking for a loan? Bookies after you? You need someone to cosign for an apartment? Did your car get repos-?"

"I'm sick."

The words he uttered were so soft she almost missed them.

"What? What do you mean sick? What kind of sick?"

"Pancreatic cancer."

Her mouth hung open, caught completely off-guard by his news. "Jack, oh my God! Did they catch it early? What is your prognosis?"

"No. It was not caught early, and my prognosis is very much not good, my dear. Not. Good. Stage IV. They've given me three to six months. No treatment. I mean, I could do chemo, but that would probably only give me a few extra months during which I would feel like hell. I know I've spent the majority of my life drugging my body in some form or another, but I'm gonna pass on those particular poisons."

"What about surgery or radiation? Are there any drug trials? Anything besides the chemo?"

"No, no surgery or radiation. It's spread. My spleen, stomach, lymph nodes, blood vessels. It's pretty much everywhere, but it really doesn't matter. I've already decided where and when it ends."

Her concern was elevated by the ominous tone of his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, well, _that_, my lovely Sharon O'Dwyer-Raydor-Flynn, is one of the reasons I solicited your presence here this fine afternoon. I'd like to offer you the opportunity to do something you've been dreaming of doing for years."

Her stomach flipped over as she asked, "And what might that be?"

"Watch me die."

* * *

"Go, go, go!" Annie Grace Raydor was clapping her hands, her little voice mimicking the words of her grandfather as he, Louie, and the rest of their section were on their feet following a baseline hit by Cody Bellinger that was going to result in loaded bases for the Dodgers.

"That away, boy-oh!" Louie yelled as they settled back into their seats. "Give me five, Annie-bananie!" He lifted his hand which the toddler quickly patted with her own.

"I think you're our good luck charm, lovebug. Gandy and Lou-Lou are going to bring you to the ballgame more often!" Andy kissed his granddaughter's chubby cheek and suddenly remembered he'd missed their last sunscreen application. "Nana will have my guts for garters if you come home with so much as a freckle." He pulled the baby's little blue Dodger cap off as he nudged Louie's arm. "Will you dig that sun lotion out of the baby bag?"

"Excuse, me, sir?"

Andy looked up to find a pretty blonde wearing a polo with the Dodger's emblem on the chest and a badge identifying her as "Cassie S. Media Operations" smiling down at him. "Yes?"

"Is this your granddaughter?"

He nodded, turning the little one so she was looking at the young woman instead of Louie. "Yeah, this is Annie Grace."

"Hi, sweetheart!"

Annie Grace smiled and waved her little hand, although she quickly had a bout of shyness and leaned her head against Andy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but one of our spotters noticed how cute she looks in her little hat and jersey. We'd like to show Annie, well, and you, too, on the jumbotron and on the tv broadcast, and the announcers will say something about how cute she is. Would that be okay?"

Andy glanced over at Provenza who gave him a shrug and said, "What's the harm?"

"Yeah, okay. Sure."

"Great!" The blonde pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and asked, "How do you spell her name?"

* * *

"Watch you die? What are you…? You know there is no way I could take part in...Jesus, Jack!"

" Calm down, calm down! I'm not asking you to shoot me or anything, Sharon. Come on. My cancer's in my abdomen, not my brain."

The waiter's arrival with their food offered them a moment to gather themselves. Waiting until the young man was out of earshot, Sharon quietly offered, "There are places you can go, Jack, where they can keep you comfortable. There's palliative care and hospice. I could talk to Father Stan. I'm sure the church…"

"I am not spending my last weeks on this earth in the company of nuns, for God's sake. I'm just asking you to be there. I'd rather not be alone when it happens."

She took a deep breath but knew there was no other answer she could given than, "Of course I'll be there if you want me there, Jack, and Ricky and Emily. We'll all visit you and I'm sure the hospice people-"

Jack pushed himself up in the chair, raising his hands in front of him as he shook his head. "No, no. I'm trying to tell you I'm not doing that. I'm not dying some emaciated skeleton in a diaper surrounded by strangers who are checking off a list of when my various organs begin to shut down."

"Jack…"

"Look, you don't have to be there if you don't want to. I can just call, or hell, I'll text you, whatever, to let you know that it's happening. It'd be enough just to have someone find me in a timely fashion and I'd like that someone to be you, if you'll agree to it."

"Find you? What are you talking about?"

He pushed his untouched club sandwich towards the middle of the table so he could rest his elbows in its place, his chin resting on his hands. "I'm going to go gently into that good night, mi amour. I've amassed a tidy collection of painkillers. I've got a mortar and pestle. A few twists of my wrist and then I mix the powder into a batch of pudding or ice cream and…voila! Say goodnight, Gracie."

Sharon's throat grew tight as she listened to him ever-so calmly spell out his plan. "Jack, please, please don't do this. There has to be another way. Please let me help you find an alternative to this…madness."

He reached out and gently cupped her cheek, "Honey, you've been helping me out my whole adult life. For once, I'm taking responsibility for it. That's what you've always wanted me to do, right?"

Although soft, there was intensity in her voice as she took his hand from her cheek and held it in both of hers. "This is not taking responsibility. This is…"

"What is it?"

"It's self-destruction."

"I'm just expediting what nature already has planned for me. Surely you don't want me to suffer, do you?"

Sharon felt a tear escape the corner of her eye as she twisted away from him, determined not to let him see her cry. "No, of course I don't."

"Look, I don't know how you couldn't hate me after everything I have or haven't done and all the times I let you down and took advantage of your goodness, because you are good Sharon. You are the best person I've ever known, and I have no right to ask, but I'm scared, even if this is on my own terms, I'm terrified and I really don't want to be alone at the end."

There was no keeping her own tears at bay watching him now openly weeping in front of her. "Just…Oh, God…Just let me think about it, okay?"

"Thank you, thank you," he pulled her hand to his lips for a kiss.

A few quiet moments passed as they wiped their eyes and noses, grateful that the waiter wasn't overly attentive and, therefore, granting them some much needed privacy.

Clearing her throat, Sharon suddenly remembered he had said there was more than one reason he wanted to meet with her. "There was something else you wanted to talk about."

He cleared his throat, shifting in his chair as he tried to regain his composure. "Oh, yeah, right. Well, Emily's baby. I'd like to see her. I'd like to spend time with her while I can, and I don't know how receptive Emily will be to that, but I thought maybe if I show up at one of her shows on this tour, she'd let me spend an afternoon with the kid. I figured you know her schedule and could maybe put in a good word with our daughter now that you know what I'm up against time-wise, and, Sharon, look, I know you're not going to like this, but I don't want to tell the kids about the cancer."

"Jack…"

"I know, I know, but hear me out. I want to see them, you know…" his tears began to flow again. "…see them one last time, but I'd like our visits to be as positive and happy as possible. I'm never going to be able to make up for all the things I missed and all the time I've wasted, but I'd like to try to make their last memories of their dad ones that involve a little laughter and some smiles, not tears and frowns."

"You have to tell them, Jack. They need to know."

The corners of his mouth turned up and she saw a brief spark in his eyes as he said, "Remember that Christmas when, I think Emily was seven and Ricky was five, and we were having a good year, a really good year. Remember?"

Unsure of where he was going, she gave a short nod.

"We were in the house on Mulberry and it was Christmas Eve and, oh hell, it had to have been like three in the morning or something insane like that and I was putting together that bike for Ricky and you were working on that huge Barbie house thing for Em, and all of sudden we heard the stairs creaking and when we turned around there they stood on the stairs staring at us with these awful looks, like we had committed the most awful betrayal."

Nodding, Sharon couldn't help but smile at the memory. "Yes, Oh God. I remember just wanting to dig a hole and climb into it, but you, smooth operator you, you jumped up and said…"

"I said, "Holy cow, you guys just missed him!" and I froze and looked up towards the ceiling and said, 'Wait, do you hear that?"

Sharon giggled, and then mimicked his voice. "I think those are the reindeers' hooves on the roof!' And then you ran to the fireplace and stuck your head in and started shouting, 'Come back! Come back, Santa! Ricky and Emily are here!' And I thought there was no way in the world they were going to buy it, but before I knew it, they were crowding in with you at the fireplace shouting 'Come back! Come back, Santa! Come Back!'

"And you, my little partner in crime, you managed to scarf down two cookies and drink half the glass of milk they'd put out for him to further our cause."

Sharon wrinkled her nose. "That milk was room temperature. Ugghhh…"

"And I told them this whole story about Santa running behind because Rudolph had a cold so his nose wasn't glowing as brightly to light the way so we had told him we would help him out and put your toys together to save him time."

Sharon sat up straight as she suddenly remembered, "But Emily asked why the elves hadn't put their toys together at the North Pole and you said the elves were striking for fairer wages and you started spouting legal mumbo jumbo which they, for some crazy reason, believed."

"And because of that ruse, we didn't have to admit the truth, and they got, what? Three? Four more years of believing?"

"They were little children then, Jack, and your Cancer isn't the same as finding out that there isn't a Santa Claus."

He sighed, leaning back into his chair, watching her for a minute. "You don't get it."

"What? What don't I get?"

"_I'm_ the kid standing on the stair. If I tell them I'm dying and they are," he sighed, before letting the painful word slip from his lips. "…indifferent to it, it would break my heart, and deep down I know they have every right not to grieve…"

They were both in tears again as Sharon moved her chair closer to him. "Your children…our children, are not going to be indifferent to losing you, Jack. We didn't raise them…"

He reached out and took her hand, "_We_ didn't raise them. _You_ raised them."

"You're right. I did raise them which is why I know that neither of them is unfeeling or uncaring. They love you. God, help them, but they do and they _will _grieve your loss."

Jack turned away, hastily wiping his face as the waiter appeared with fresh drinks which he wisely deposited quickly in front of his obviously emotional patrons before disappearing inside the restaurant.

Nearly a minute passed where neither of them said anything until Jack plainly stated, "I'm not going to tell them, Sharon. Whether you agree or disagree, I'm not. I'm sure its selfish, but I don't want to do it. I want to take the image of my kids smiling with me when I fall asleep for the last time. Please let me have that."

She held his gaze for a moment before finally nodding. "I'm not sure if it is the right choice but I'll honor your wishes, Jack, but if something happens and you change your mind and decide to tell them, I'd like to be there when you do."

"I won't, but okay, yeah, okay. Thank you." He picked up his glass took a sip before asking, "So, what about the baby?"

"Ah, well, I don't know." While she found herself feeling sorry for his current plight, Sharon's convictions regarding Annie Grace held firm. The baby didn't know Jack from any other sixty-five year old man on the street, and it was ultimately Emily's call when it came to her daughter's interaction with her father, besides, she didn't want Jack to resent Andy and the place he held in the little girl's heart. Deciding ambiguity her best choice of response, she managed, "Emily's terribly busy on her tour, but she'll be back in LA in four weeks. Why don't you just wait until she gets back into town?"

Jack was listening to her, but something across the patio caught his attention and a sly smile filled his face as he slowly answered, "Yeah, I guess I could do that, or _you_ could just let me spend some time with the kid this week."

"What?" His attention still on the other end of the patio, she whipped her head around to see what was so captivating and immediately understood his comment as her eyes landed on a large plasma screen on which her granddaughter, husband, and Louie Provenza were waving and smiling above a banner reading: _Dodger Doll of the Day: Annie Grace Raydor_.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey, there! Sorry this took a while…Work, life, all that blech…ugh. Anyhoo, there is some saucy language and some shecksiness in this installment. Thank you for the continued kindness via the lovely reviews and Tumblr posts . You guys are so lovely!_

* * *

"Babe?"

Dropping the baby bag at the door, Andy quickly made his way into the house, Annie Grace bouncing on his hip as they made their way towards the master bedroom having found the kitchen and family room empty.

"Babe? Babe, where are you?"

"Babe! Babe!" Annie Grace mimicked Andy's call as they approached the master's closed door.

Immediately wondering what troubles had accompanied the lunch with Jack, he instinctually put his hand on the knob, but hesitated given that he had the toddler in his arms.

"Babe!"

"Shhh…shh, lovebug." He turned the baby away from the door whispering, "I think Nana's night-night. Let's go change your diaper and check on the doggies."

"Nana night-night?"

The sound of the door hinge lightly creaking was followed by Sharon's gentle voice. "Hi, my sweethearts."

"Nana!" Annie Grace stretched her little arms out towards her grandmother. "Hold you, Nana?"

"Oh, yes, yes, please. Come here, angel baby, and let Nana love on you." Sharon quickly gathered the little one to her, kissing her neck. "Oh, you're sticky! You had a big day, didn't you? Did you have so much fun with Gandy and Lou-Lou?"

Watching the interaction between his wife and grandbaby, Andy's stomach twisted with worry as he noted how pale Sharon looked, not to mention her red-rimmed, puffy eyes.

"You okay, honey?"

Resting her cheek on the side of the baby's head she did her best to smile, but he detected a sadness behind it that inspired him to wrap his arms around her.

"Whatever it is, it's going to be alright. It will."

She appreciated the comfort he offered and would have liked nothing more than to curl up in bed with her husband and granddaughter, but the baby's diaper was heavy and both she and Andy smelled of sunscreen, not to mention Annie Grace having remnants of blue cotton candy on her little cheeks and around her mouth, so she gave his cheek a quick kiss and murmured, "We'll talk later. Why don't you take a quick shower and I'll give Missy Prissy here a wipe down with a warm washcloth. Sandwiches for dinner okay?"

"You don't have to do that. I can feed and bathe Annie Grace and you can rest…"

Leaning back, she shook her head, her voice thick as she admitted, "I want some time with her. I need to hold her for a bit."

Tension filled his body as his imagination went wild with the possible ways Jack could have driven her to her current emotional state. "What did he do this time?"

Shaking her head, she whispered, "Later."

* * *

Their light supper quickly and quietly shared, a warm bath and fifteen minutes of rocking to her grandmother's sweetly sung lullabies resulted in Annie Grace going down for the night, the day's excitement and the lack of an afternoon nap leading to the toddler crashing hard.

"That was fast."

Andy wrapped his arms around Sharon's waist, his chin on her shoulder as they watched the baby sleep from the doorway of the nursery.

"She was wiped out from all the fun with her Gandy," Sharon whispered, reaching up and gentling cupping his cheek.

"Nana seems a bit wiped out herself."

Sharon had said little during dinner, Andy carrying most of the conversation as he recounted the young woman asking to film Annie Grace and all the smiles and waves she received as other patrons recognized the beautiful baby with the smiling green eyes from the big screen. Sharon, in turn, refrained from admitting she had seen them on the television, even when they moved from the patio to the family room and Andy pulled up the moment in the fourth inning when the trio was filmed on the DVR.

Now in his arms, the emotional toll of whatever had transpired with Jack was evident in the way she leaned against him, her arms limp and spine curved under an unseen weight.

"How about a hot bath and a glass of wine?"

"Oh, yes, please."

* * *

Slipping out of her clothes and into the cool satin navy blue robe with which her husband had gifted her on her last birthday, Sharon removed her glasses and traded them for the glass of rose sitting on the dresser as she listened to Andy move about the master bath as he filled the tub and added her favorite bath oils while Alexa softly filled the room with her classical playlist.

The bath full, Andy lit a few candles before sticking his head around the doorway, his worry renewing as he found her leaning against the edge of the dresser, her head bowed and hands covering her face.

"Oh, sweetheart." He pulled her against his chest and ran his hands up and down her back.

"Sorry," she quickly wiped her face, twisting away from him. "I hate that I'm crying. It's ridiculous."

"Why is it ridiculous? I wish you'd tell me what he did that has made you so upset."

Turning back into him, she rested her forehead against his collar bone and wrapped her arms around him, grateful for his care, but dreading the actual telling.

"Come on. We don't want your water to get cold." Taking her hand, he led her into the bathroom and helped her out of her robe before assisting her into the tub. Her contented sigh giving him a small sense of relief, he turned towards the door and offered, "I'll get your wine…"

"And then will you stay?"

Grateful she wanted his company, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Of course."

She rested her head against the edge of the tub and looked up at him. "Thank you. Oh, and will you bring the baby monitor in with you? Just in case."

"Yeah, sure thing. Anything else?"

Smiling, she shook her head. "Just you. I just need you."

Returning her smile, he placed a quick kiss to her forehead before slipping from the room.

Left alone, Sharon's gaze went to the ceiling, her tears returning as she slipped beneath the water allowing herself a few moments of escape to decide how she wanted to share the difficult news of Jack's illness and all the complications that came with it.

Pushing her head far enough out of the water so that her mouth cleared the water line, she waited to speak until Andy had returned and had lowered himself to the floor so that he was comfortably leaning against the wall opposite her head. "Before we get into my afternoon, tell me some more about yours. Tell me something happy, I mean besides getting to show the world and his wife what a proud grandpa you are, what was the best part of your day?"

"Well…" he moved to his knees and reached into the water. "Here, give me your foot, babe."

Letting herself enjoy the exquisite feel of his thumbs pressing into her arch, she sat up long enough to take a sip of her wine before prodding him to talk. "Come on. Best part?"

"Well one of the definite highlights I will show you after your bath. I took video on my phone and I already sent it to Em, but you have to watch that little monster tear into some cotton candy. I think I went through half a package of wipes trying to clean her up. Louie tried to steal a bite, but she pulled the bag away and said, "Not you, Lou-Lou."

"Oh, I can't wait. That girl is too funny."

"It was a great day. She loved it so much; the people, the music, the food. We had a great time. Maybe you and I can take her to another game before he summer's over."

"I'd love that. Just you and me."

Andy released one foot and waited for her to give him her other before asking, "So, enough about our day. Tell me about yours. What was the reason for lunch? Money? A place to stay?"

"Cancer."

The foot massage came to an immediate halt as Andy repeated the word, unsure if he had heard her correctly. "Cancer?"

She nodded.

"Jack has cancer?"

Sharon eased her foot out of his hand before drawing her knees up to her chest as she sat up in the water. "Pancreatic and it's bad. He only has months."

"Jesus." Andy waited for her to continue, but she only closed her eyes and rested her cheek against her knees. "So, what are his plans? Is he staying with his brother? Will he go into some sort of facility? Does he want to stay here?"

"He didn't ask me if he could stay here and his brother is the latter stages of Alzheimer's so that's out, but he is refusing to seek palliative care or to go into hospice." Sharon quietly explained as she lifted her head so that her chin now rested on her knees.

"Okay. Would you want him to stay here?" He shifted so that his elbow was resting on the edge of the tub, his hand supporting his head.

"I don't think that will be necessary."

Andy found her response surprising given their history. "Why is that?"

"He doesn't want to wait to let the illness take him so he's going to crush up pain killers and mix them into something and just…go to sleep."

"Good God, Jack." He sat up, sighing and shaking his head.

"And he wants me to be there when he does it."

"What!?"

"Shh! Calm down, sweetheart." She reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist. "I told him no and then he asked me if I would agree to be the one to find him and contact the authorities after he's done it."

"No. Absolutely not."

His strong and immediate response didn't surprise her. "I didn't agree to it. I told him I would think about it."

"It puts you in a compromising position, Sharon!"

"Please keep your voice down." While she was certain Annie Grace was far enough away that his angry shouting wouldn't reach her, his outbursts were counteractive to the relaxing atmosphere he gone to so much trouble to create for her, and ultimately served no purpose other than to raise his blood pressure and fray her nerves.

"I'm sorry. Sorry, I just…"

"I know, but I can't totally turn my back on him, for Emily and Ricky's sake, at the least, and, of course, history aside, I can't just dismiss what he is going through for the same reason."

"God, poor Ricky and Em. When he is going to tell them?"

"He's not."

"What do you mean?"

Sharon shrugged. "Just that. He wants the last bit of time he gets to spend with them to be happy, and he's mostly just scared that they will be, in his words, indifferent to his situation."

Andy scowled. "I know this is the pot calling the kettle when it comes to being a shit father, but in spite of his crap history in that department, he has great kids who were raised by a fantastic mother. They are sweet, kind people; of course, they won't be indifferent to his being sick. Good grief."

"I told him something very similar, but he seemed determined. I did ask him to let me be there if he does change his mind and decides to tell them."

"Dammit. He can't even do the right thing in the face of his own death."

Sharon shifted back against the back of the tub her eyes shut tight as she fought a new bout of tears. "Why is this getting to me? After all he's done…"

Andy reached down and tenderly stroked her leg. "Your tears aren't for Jack, babe. I mean, of course, you feel bad for him. You are a good person and no matter what he has done to you and the kids, you're going to feel sympathy for anyone who was just diagnosed with terminal cancer." He used his free hand to gently wiped under her eyes as he continued, "These tears are for the kids and what you know they are about to go through, and I think you are probably also grieving for the husband and father Jack could never find it in himself to become."

Years of AA meetings and family counseling gave Andy a perspective on life that had surprised Sharon on more than one occasion, but perhaps never more so than at this moment.

"You're a little bit amazing, you know that?"

Leaning forward to kiss her, he returned, "You're a lot amazing."

Strains of "Clair De Lune" filling the otherwise quiet room, the couple took a moment to simply exchange loving smiles before Andy asked, "Would you like me to wash your hair?"

Sighing gratefully, she nodded. "That would be wonderful."

Sliding back into the water, she rewet her hair and then sat up while he retrieved her shampoo and conditioner from the shower stall.

"Tip your head back, sweetheart." He poured a small amount of soap into the palm of his hand before gently working it into her locks and then massaging her scalp.

"That feels so good."

Leaning forward, he kissed her shoulder and whispered, "Good," before retrieving a small pitcher from below the sink on the opposite side of the room.

Waiting until he had most of the shampoo rinsed from her hair, Sharon shared her final bit of news. "Jack wants to see Annie Grace."

"When Em is here weekend after next?"

Sharon twisted her head around as she reached up and took one of his hands. "This week. He knows we're keeping her while Emily is out of town."

"What?! I thought he was under the impression that she took her with her."

"He was."

"And you told him she was here?!"

"Andy, please, honey, please keep your voice down. No, I did not tell him. He saw her on the television in the patio bar; the jumbotron video. That's how he knows."

"Dammit!' He pulled his hand away and moved to his feet so he could make a quick circuit of the room, his fists clenching and unclenching as he fought to contain his composure. "So, what? He's just going to show up and expect us to just hand her over to someone who is practically a stranger? She doesn't know him, Sharon. He's not…" He didn't finish the thought as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair while perching on the bathroom counter, his focus on the tiles in front of him.

"He's not you. He most definitely is not you. You are her sweet, wonderful Gandy whom she adores. He is her mother's father, and therefore, her grandfather, and of course, we are not just handing her over to him. I told him there were multiple conditions to his seeing her."

Sighing, he forced himself to look at her. "And these conditions are?"

"Well, Emily has to okay it for starters. Her child, her decision, and if she does agree to let him see her, it won't happen here. I told him he can't just show up at our home on a whim. We will schedule a date and a time in a public place and you and I will both be there."

He still wasn't thrilled with the idea, but her terms did make the concept seem a tad more palatable. "It isn't that I begrudge a dying man the chance to see his family, but..."

"But if he hadn't been diagnosed with a terminal illness, he would be making absolutely no effort to see her. I know, I know Andy. Believe me, I don't like it any more than you, but it is what it is. And who knows? Maybe Emily will say no."

"Fingers crossed."

"I don't want to talk about Jack or Cancer or death any more tonight." The melancholy tone of Vaughn Williams' "The Lark Ascending" only enhancing the tension in the room, Sharon suddenly announced, "Enough," before calling out, "Alexa, play Van Morrison."

The opening notes of "Crazy Love" starting, the corners of Andy's mouth curled up as he pushed himself away from the counter. "Van, huh?"

There was a palpable shift in the room as the tenor's gentle voice sang the first few lyrics.

"You bet your ass Van. Now, Mr. Flynn, I need a distraction. You think you could help me out?"

Swaying lightly as he began to cross back towards her, he sang along:

…_And when I come to her that's where I belong,_

_Yet I'm running to her like a river's song,_

_She give me love, love, love, love crazy love…_

Bracing himself on the edge of the tub, leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss before whispering, "I've got an idea about how I can distract you."

"I think I'm going to like this idea." She gave him a quick peck before adding, "Let me finish my hair and then I'll meet you in the bedroom."

* * *

In the time it took her to finish her bath and give her hair a quick blow dry, Andy had lit candles throughout the bedroom and changed from his comfy sweats and t-shirt into a pair of navy-blue silk pajama pants that coordinated with Sharon's open robe.

Standing at the end of bed as he lounged in the middle, she teased, "You're wearing your fancy pants."

"I thought you liked my _fancy pants_."

Climbing onto the bed, she rested on her knees as she reached out and tugged on one of his pants cuffs. "I do. I like the way they feel when I do this." She moved onto all fours and let her right hand slip up the inside of his left leg, a sly smile on her face as she watched his gaze move to her breasts, the firelight from the candles illuminating her ivory skin.

"I like the way it feels when you do anything," he whispered as she straddled his lap and brought his hands up to cup her breasts.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she ran her fingernails up the back of his head, leaning forward and sucking on his earlobe before whispering, "Make me forget today."

And for the next hour he did.

* * *

"Boo-bell! Booby! Dunny!"

There was early morning dew on the grass, but knowing they had no plans for the day, Sharon set a barefoot Annie Grace into the yard just off the patio and watched the little one toddle towards the excited dogs who were shimmying and panting as they anxiously waited at the gate for the baby's attention.

"Everybody wants to give Annie Grace kisses this morning," she cooed as the toddler giggled while receiving licks from the other side of the gate through which her arms were outstretched.

Coffee in hand, Sharon settled into a patio chair and pulled her phone out of her shorts pocket and checked the time before calling out, "Mama is going to call us in a few minutes, angel baby."

"You sure you don't want some eggs or something?" Andy asked as he appeared on the patio with a tray containing two bowls of malt-o-meal for himself and Annie Grace, as well as a bowl of fruit and a few slices of toast. "You need something more than toast and coffee."

"I'm good for now."

Truth be told, she had woken at four and been unable to get back to sleep and was now experiencing the nausea that often accompanied a lack of rest coupled with stress.

"Well, I'm happy to get you whatever if you change your mind." Andy kissed the top of her head before turning and doing a silly walk with his arms outstretched in Annie Grace's direction. "I'm-a-gonna get you! I'm-a-gonna get me a baby!"

Watching Andy chase their squealing, laughing granddaughter, she almost missed Emily's call.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" Sharon smiled brightly at her daughter who was also still in her pajamas from the view FaceTime provided.

"Hey, mom. How's it going?"

Sharon had to fight making a face as she considered the loaded question, but managed to maintain her smile as she answered, "Really well. Gandy is chasing down that crazy girl so we can clean the puppy dog kisses off of her and eat some malt-o-meal."

"Puppy dog kisses and malt-o-meal sound pretty good to me."

Picking up the phone, Sharon turned the screen so Emily could watch Andy cradle Annie Grace in his arms, burying his face into her belly and making gobbling noises which earned him a massive burst of giggles as they made their way to the sink near the grill.

"It's a shame they don't like one another," Emily teased. "She's never going to want to come home with me after being spoiled rotten by Gandy and Nana for a month."

"Oh, stop. She is going to light up like a Christmas tree when she gets over here. She always does." Looking over her shoulder briefly, Sharon took a deep breath and gathered her wits before telling Emily, "So, your Dad is in town. I met him for lunch yesterday while they were at the ball game."

Emily's brow furrowed in response. "Of course, he's in LA when I'm not. That figures."

"I think he'll be here for a while." Sharon was intent on staying as ambiguous as possible when it came to information about Jack. "He asked if he could see Annie Grace."

The immediate tension in Emily's body was apparent even on the small screen of the Iphone. "Well, that's certainly out of the blue."

"I told him it was your call. I'll do whatever you want, Em."

"But you're the one who will have to deal with him. How did he look? Sober?"

"I think so. I told him that if you were okay with it, we could meet in a public place and that both Andy and I would be there."

"She doesn't know him, Mom."

"I know, honey."

"Is it terrible that I want to say no just because it's his idea?"

Sharon inhaled deeply, giving her daughter an understanding nod. "It's understandable, not terrible, but…"

"But if I say no, he'll hold it over me for years."

Sharon took another deep breath, her promise to Jack regarding telling the kids about his illness making it hard for her to respond. Thankfully, Emily kept the conversation going as she asked, "Let me think about it, okay?"

"Of course, honey."

"I'm sorry you're in the middle, Mom. I'll try to call him and see if he's willing to wait until I get back into town, so you don't have to deal with him. It won't hurt him to wait. God knows he's left us waiting plenty of times."

"Okay, well let me know what he says. You know I will do whatever you think is best." Sharon glanced back over her shoulder as she heard Andy and Annie Grace approaching. "Like I said, it is your call."

"Mama!"

"Hi, Pickle! Oh, I miss you so much, baby!"

Nothing more about Jack was said after Sharon took her granddaughter into her arms so Annie Grace and Emily could begin their morning ritual of blowing kisses and singing silly songs.

* * *

Much to Emily's surprise, her dad answered her call on the second ring.

"Emily Jane Raydor, the most gorgeous girl I know! How are you, darling?"

Ducking back into a doorway in the hall just inside the stage door of the Seattle theatre in which the company was currently booked, she took a deep breath before answering, "I'm fine, Dad. How are you?"

"Ah, well, old and ornery, but that's nothing new. So, how is your tour?"

"It's going well, I think, I mean we are still making a few adjustments, but we're getting good reviews."

Unbeknownst to Emily, her father was currently curled in the fetal position in the middle of a full-sized bed at the back of a small rent house a buddy was letting him use in-between tenants. A sharp pain shooting through his abdomen, he tried to swallow a groan, but wasn't entirely successful.

"Dad, you okay? You don't sound too good."

"No, no, I'm okay, sweetheart. Just a bit of a stomachache. I think I had some bad shellfish or something. Anyway, tell me more about your tour."

The dance captain of the company suddenly stepped outside the door to let Emily know they were ready to do a run through. "Like I said, it's early, but I have high hopes. Look, Dad, I talked to Mom this morning and she said you are in town and want to see Annie Grace."

"Oh, yeah. She and I had a nice lunch yesterday. So, well, I just figured since I was here…"

Emily bit her bottom lip, deciding how to proceed. "I guess it would be okay, but you know she isn't that familiar with you, right, Dad? Don't get me wrong, she's very social and sweet, but she is very close with Mom…"

"And Andy. I know, I know, sweetheart. Don't worry. I don't expect her to leap into my arms. I'd just like the chance to see her, that's all. Just a little bit of time to watch her play and hear her little voice. That's all I'm asking for, Emily."

There was a desperation in Jack's tone that surprised her and with little deliberation she quickly answered, "Okay. I'll get with Mom and she'll call you to set up something."

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart. Thank you so much."

"How long will you be in town, Dad? I'll be home from the tour in a month."

Another strong pain hitting him, Jack's answer came through gritted teeth. "Yeah, maybe I'll be around. I'm not sure, but I'd love to see you, sweetheart." Taking a breath as the pain mercifully subsided, he managed, "I know you won't have much time, but your mom said you and Rick would both be in town weekend after next. Do you think I could steal just the two of you away? Maybe meet for a late dinner, you know, after the baby is asleep." His voice softened as he added, "I know your time with her is precious."

Surprised by the request and alarmed by his unusual tone, she once again asked, "Dad, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Em, I told you just old and ornery. So, what about getting together?"

The dance captain appearing again, Emily waved and nodded to signal she would be in shortly. "I'm sure we can work something out. I'm sorry, but I really must run, Dad. I'm glad we got to talk and I'm glad you're going to see Annie Grace."

"Oh, me, too, sweetheart. Me, too. Thank you so much."

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go."

"Sure, sure. Hey, just…I love you, Emily. I love you so much."

"Dad?"

His voice thick as tears ran down his cheeks, he quickly ended the conversation with, "Go do your thing, sweetheart. We'll talk soon."

* * *

Lifting Sharon's wrist to look at her watch, Andy reported an annoyed, "It's already ten after one," before pulling out the wand from a bottle of bubbles and sending a swarm of iridescent spheres floating around their delighted granddaughter and three dogs in their fairly secluded section of the park.

"Punctuality was never his strong suit, among other things," Sharon responded as she took a few steps from the picnic table at which they had set up lunch in anticipation of Jack's arrival. A hand lifted to shield her eyes from the midday sun, she scanned the parking lot about fifty yards away for any sign of her ex-husband. Turning back, she couldn't help but smile as she watched Andy attempt to teach the little one how to blow bubbles which resulted in a few adorable raspberry's blown from the toddler's lips.

"Here, let Nana blow the bubbles and Gandy can help you catch them."

Now in control of the wand, Sharon kept a steady flow of bubbles dancing about them as the little girl squealed and giggled as her grandfather swung her through the swarm while the dogs barked and yipped around them.

"Gandy, don't overdo it. Nana has some plans for you later." Lifting her eyebrows suggestively, she stopped blowing bubbles long enough to wrap an arm around his waist as she lifted her face for a kiss which was quickly returned, although Andy quickly pulled back as he realized the real reason for this sudden show of affection.

"You're wiping your sticky fingers on my shirt, aren't you?"

Biting her bottom lip, Sharon gave his side a squeeze before jogging away. "Bubbles are messy!"

"Oh, your Nana is in for it now, isn't she, lovebug?" Andy set the baby on the ground before taking off after her grandmother.

"Andy! Don't you dare!" Dodging one way and then running the other, Sharon only managed a few steps as her husband anticipated her moves and soon had his arms around her waist and his face buried in her neck as he blew similar raspberries to the toddler's.

"Me! Me! Hold you!" Not wanting to miss the fun, Annie Grace was soon wrapped around Sharon's legs.

Andy reached down and soon had the little one nestled between them as he made gobbling noises on her shoulder and the back of her neck.

Laughing, Sharon happened to glance over and notice the figure of a man very similar to Jack's build heading away from their direction and towards the parking lot.

"I think that's him," she made sure Andy had a good hold on Annie Grace before she set off after the man. "Jack?! Jack!?"

Jack, however, ignored her calls and picked up his pace until he reached a gray Camry at the far-side of the lot. To his chagrin, the exit was exactly where Sharon was headed and he had to choose whether to continue to ignore her presence or endure an interrogation if he stopped. Knowing the latter was inevitable, he slowed the car down and rolled down his window.

"Look, Sharon-"

"What the hell are you doing? Where are you going?"

Sighing, he shifted his gaze from her to where Andy and Annie Grace were waiting by the table in the distance, the little girl distracted by the three dogs while Andy's focus was directed on him. "I thought it would be okay, Sharon. I really did, but then I see him and you and she's…you're so happy and she's happy and I…look, I just can't do it. I thought I could, but I can't."

One of Sharon's greatest gifts, whether it played into her being a police officer, a mother, a wife, or simply a fellow human being, was her ability to put herself in another person's shoes which she did at this moment.

"She is your granddaughter, Jack, I get it. I'm sure it is incredibly hard to see someone filling a role that could have been yours, and we've reached a point that accusations and blame are inconsequential because time is a precious commodity which is exactly why you can't afford to squander it. Please don't throw away this opportunity."

Jack's head remained pressed against the headrest and his eyes closed as they had been since Sharon had begun her plea. "I fucked it all up, Sharon. I hate myself for fucking it all up."

Unable to bear watching him cry, she turned and looked over her shoulder to fine, as expected, Andy watching them. Her gaze shifted to the ground for a moment as she considered how hurt Emily would eventually be to know her father had given up the chance to spend time with her child when he knew he had only a few months to live.

"Look, what if Andy takes the dogs down to the other end where the dog park is? It would just be you and me and Annie Grace."

Jack slowly opened his eyes, glancing at her before turning back to the windshield. "That won't piss him off?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will, but he will eventually get over it, if not for me, then for Emily."

He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and nodded. "I do want to see her. I'd like this time with her and you."

"Go park and give me a few minutes to talk to him."

Jack nodding in agreement, she steeled herself for her husband's reaction as she set off back towards their table, only to be met halfway by Andy who had Annie Grace on his hip and the leashed dogs at his feet.

"So, what? Is he staying or going?"

Sharon shook her head and nodded towards Annie Grace. "Please don't get upset. Look, I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to suffer or endure…a lot of things, but he doesn't have much time, Andy, and this might be the last chance he has to ever see his own daughter's child."

Confused, he scowled as he asked, "Don't get upset? What is going to upset me?"

"He walked up and saw us having this wonderful time together with her and it was more than he could bear so he was going to leave, but you and I both know it will break Emily's heart if she finds out he didn't see Annie Grace, but he isn't comfortable seeing her with you," she placed her hand on his chest as she finished explaining, "so I asked him if he would stay if you took the dogs down to the dog park and gave him some time with just her and me."

"Are you serious? You're serious?" Andy's tone was high, his exasperation evident not only to Sharon, but to Annie Grace as well, whose bottom lip was curling as she held out her arms to Sharon.

"Nana?"

"Come here, baby," Gently patting her granddaughter's back, Sharon softly pleaded, "Please stay calm, honey. You have to know I don't like it, either, but in the end, it will mean something to Em that her dad spent at least a little time with her daughter before he died. This isn't for Jack. It's for Emily. Please do this for Emily."

Throwing his head back, Andy sighed deeply before looking back down into two sets of beautiful, but sad green eyes.

"Andy?"

"Okay. Okay, I'll go. How do you want to…when should I come back?"

"I'll text you. Won't be more than forty-five minutes or so, okay?"

"Okay." Andy ran his hand over Annie Grace's curls. "I love you, lovebug. Give Gandy a kiss." He kissed the baby's head before leaning down and receiving a sweet peck first from her and then Sharon.

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I'll make it up to you," Sharon promised with a wink.

"Gonna hold you to that, Mrs. Flynn." He gave her a cheeky smile before giving the leashes a gentle tug. "Come on, girly-girls, let's go see if any of your buddies are down the hill."

Watching her grandfather and dogs turn to go, Annie Grace suddenly lurched forward and cried, "Go Gandy! Booby!"

"It's just for a little bit, baby. Gandy and the doggies are going to be right back. You and Nana are going to eat some lunch," Sharon quickly turned in the opposite direction and headed back towards the table, bouncing the little one as she tried to distract her. "We've got lots of yummy stuff."

"Gandy…"

"Shh, shh, it's okay, angel girl. Gandy will be right back. Let's get some juice."

A sippy cup and apple slices pulled from their insulated bag, she had the baby safely seated on a blanket in the middle of the table when Jack approached.

"God, she looks so much like Em."

Annie Grace immediately turned and looked up at the stranger.

"Hi, there, gorgeous girl."

Sharon watched the interaction between Jack and their granddaughter closely as each regarded the other until Annie Grace suddenly offered a pudgy hand holding an apple slice in his direction. "Bite?"

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart. Thank you very much." Jack cautiously sat on the opposite side of the concrete table and opened his palm to receive the piece of fruit. He looked up at Sharon, ennui coloring his face. "She looks like Em, but those eyes are all you." Turning his attention back to the baby, he whispered, "You've got your grandmother's beautiful eyes."

Pleased he was behaving himself thus far, she managed to quickly dismiss his charm as she cleared her throat and turned to the baby. "Annie Grace, this is Jack. Can you say hi to Jack?"

Scooting around on her bottom, she waved her now empty hand. "Hi," before looking back and forth and pointing at Sharon. "Nana."

"Oh, yes. I know your Nana." Jack said with a grin.

Pointing in the direction of the dog park, the little one smiled as she announced, "Gandy!"

Jack's face fell and he sighed before nodding, "Yeah, I know him, too."

* * *

Ten minutes of gentle interactions between Annie Grace and Jack passing, Sharon was beginning to unpack the rest of their food when she asked, "How are you feeling, Jack?"

"Eh, I have good days and bad. This, thankfully, is a good day."

Sharon placed halved sandwiches on paper plates, handing one to him and then setting one between she and Annie Grace as she lowered herself to the seat beneath her.

"Are you in a lot of pain on these bad days?"

"I manage." He picked up his sandwich but couldn't bring himself to take a bite and offered it to Annie Grace. "Here, sweetheart."

The toddler looked over at Sharon who smiled and cooed, "Go on, baby. It's chicken. You like chicken."

The sandwich accepted, Jack leaned to the side and gave his ex-wife his own questioning look to which he received a somewhat tentative nod, so he pushed the plate to the side before slowly lifting his arms out towards the toddler. "You want to sit with me? Will you let me hold you, sweetheart?"

There was a bit of hesitation, but the baby eventually put the sandwich down on the plate before moving to her knees and crawling towards him until he pulled her into his arms. "Oh, my darling girl, aren't you just…oh…"

Sharon turned her head to the side, unable to bear watching them; not because it was Jack and not Andy holding their grandchild but because of the tears that were falling onto Jack's cheeks.

"You're perfect. You're just so perfect."

She turned back to find Jack kissing the baby's head as she retrieved her sandwich from the plate, happily devouring the chicken salad, oblivious to his wet cheeks.

"When we finish eating, you want to go swing, baby? I bet Jack will push you on the swings."

He quickly wiped his cheeks just before Annie Grace turned to look up at him. "Yeah, yeah, we can swing. I'd love to push you on the swings." Meeting her eyes briefly, he couldn't bring himself to hold her gaze, so he leaned his cheek against the little one's head as he waited for her to finish her sandwich.

* * *

"Oh, she loves it."

Sharon chuckled as she watched the baby lean back in safety seat, her little arms stretched out, eyes closed, and wearing a blissful smile as she enjoyed the breeze rushing over her face and then against the back of her head as Jack pushed her.

"It was Ricky that loved the swings, right? Em loved the merry-go-round."

She was surprised he remembered these details from their children's childhoods. "That's right. I could never understand how Emily could spin and spin and spin and never throw up."

"That's why she could always do more pirouettes than any of the other girls in her ballet class."

Sharon nodded. "Probably."

"When did she start dance class?"

"Um…three, maybe three and half? Gymnastics when she was four."

"How about this kiddo? She going to follow in her mother's dance steps?"

Grinning as she recalled the baby's excellent sense of rhythm as she bounced and shimmied to the Beach Boys music on the patio that very morning while she and Andy did a bit of gardening, Sharon assured him, "Oh, I think that's a given. This girl loves to dance. She hears music and she starts moving and shouting, 'Shake you booty,' don't you, angel baby?"

"Shake you booty!"

"Your Nana is a pretty good booty shaker, from what I remember."

"Oh, God. Don't…"

"In fact, if memory serves, I believe the last time I really saw you shake it, there was a pitcher of martinis and some Aretha involved."

"No. Nope. I don't know what you're talking about." Sharon's voice was flat as she fought not to smile knowing that he, indeed, remembering correctly, but she lost her battle with the smile as he began to sing and move his shoulders.

_Chain, chain, chain….._

_Chain of fools…_

_Chain, chain, chay-ee-ay-ee-ay-ee-ain,_

_Chain of fools…_

"Oh, for the love…stop!" she cried as she giggled. "That night. I _vaguely _remember it."

His pushing fell off as he noted, "I'm not surprised. You put away nearly an entire pitcher by yourself that night."

"Mmm…and got the mother of all hangovers the next morning."

"The hangovers we had were the immediate result of that night. The real pay-off came nine months later."

Sharon wrapped her arms around herself as she shook her head in agreement. "Miss Emily Jane."

"And, in turn," Jack caught the swing, resting his chin on Annie Grace's head, "this little bit of wonderful."

It was in rare moments like this that Sharon saw flashes of dashing, charismatic man she had fallen in love with nearly forty years before. Her reverie was interrupted, however, as Annie Grace bounced and bucked in her seat, twisting around and calling out, "Jack! Pease? Go, Jack!"

"Oh, sorry! Sorry, sweetheart. Of course!" He held Sharon's gaze as he took a few steps back and let the swing go so that the baby was flying back and forth between them.

A few minutes of quiet swinging passed before Jack suddenly said, "I've settled my debts."

She tried not to react, although if asked, she would have to admit she had wondered what sort of state his finances were in given his current plight.

"There will be a little left over after…" He focused on something unseen in the distance as he continued, "Anyway, I do have a life insurance policy that names you, Rick, and Em as beneficiaries. It'll be a decent amount for each of you."

"Split it between the kids, Jack. I'm fine…"

"No, Sharon, I am leaving something to you, I mean, it isn't near what I owe you."

"I don't care about that anymore."

"I know, I know. Just listen. I want Rick and Em to have the money for them. For a down payment on a house or whatever. I would like you to use the money I am leaving you for her," he nodded towards Annie Grace, "and any other grandbabies that might come along."

Sharon bit the side of her cheek, her eyes filling with tears.

"Dance or soccer or summer camps; put it in a fund for college. Whatever you think. You'll know what's best." He let out a haggard breath before adding, "You always know what's best."

Gritting her teeth, she could only manage a nod.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Wiping her eyes, Sharon sniffed before softly telling him, "She's asleep. You can stop pushing."

Jack let the swing's momentum dwindle before he let it come to a rest against his body, his fingers gently running through the baby's soft curls.

"She won't waken up if you want to get her out and hold her for a bit."

"Yeah. Okay."

Watching him tenderly extract the little girl from the swing, Sharon jumped as she felt her phone buzz in her shorts pocket.

_How's it going?_

Turning away, she quickly responded to Andy's text.

_Okay. She had a sandwich and fell asleep on the swings. Letting him hold her for a bit. 20 minutes? _

She waited for his response as she watched Jack tenderly rub circles over Annie Grace's back as he made his way to a nearby bench.

_See you in 20. Love you._

A photo she had taken two days before of Annie Grace with her hands wrapped tightly around Andy's neck as they pressed their cheeks together, huge smiles on both their faces sitting at the top of her screen above Andy's name, the corners of her mouth curled up as she quickly typed, _Love you, too_ before making her way to the bench and lowering herself next to Jack.

"Have you given any more thought to telling the kids?"

Jack scowled, refusing to meet her gaze as he carefully shifted the baby to a more comfortable position. "I told you I'm not telling them."

"Em said you asked to see them both next weekend. They're going to know something is up, Jack. You look…"

"Like hell."

She sighed as she corrected him. "You look unwell."

"I'll tell them I'm getting over the flu or something."

"Our children are fairly astute individuals. They're going to know this is more than the flu."

His brow furrowed as he repeated, "I'm not telling them."

The conversation clearly going to be one that would simple go in a circle, she changed the topic. "Where are you staying?"

"A friend has a rent house he's letting me use. He's doing some renovations before he rents it out again so I'm there to oversee the work."

She hesitated before asking, "What about when you need…assistance?"

"It's not going to get to that point."

"Jack…"

Slightly shifting his body in her direction, he reached down took her hand. "I know what I'm doing, Sharon. I know it's hard to believe, but I do."

"I've given it a lot of thought and we have the room so you could come and stay with us. You'd be able to spend more time with Annie Grace for the next few weeks and our friend Patrice Provenza could help. She used to be a nurse. We can work this out where you have care but aren't left alone with strangers."

He abruptly pulled his hand back, not surprised by Sharon's offer; he had been expecting it, but it still irritated him and he lowly spat out, "They're gonna put your image on candles, you know that? They are going to sell cards and medallions. Sharon, the Patron Saint of Women Taken for Granted."

Her spine straightening, she whispered, "Don't do this. We're having a good afternoon, Jack."

"Then don't push, Sharon. Don't try to manipulate me or coerce me-"

"I am doing neither. I am only offering to help you do the right thing."

He put his hand over Annie Grace's ear as he hissed, "The right thing for whom?"

"The right thing for the people who love you and are going to be left behind when you take this coward's way out."

"Go to hell." He stood from the bench, his face and chest red with anger. "Take her."

"Don't, Jack. Sit down, please."

"Goddammit, Sharon, I said take her."

Sharon was on her feet and had the baby cradled in her arms within seconds. "Jack, wait," she called as he turned on his heel and stormed off in the direction of the table and parking lot.

* * *

The dogs exhausted from a solid half hour of play with a German Shepherd named Toby and Bobble, an Australia Sheep Dog, Andy was heading towards the parking lot to put them in the back of the station wagon when he caught sight of Jack entering the lot on the opposite side.

"Hey, Jack!"

"I'm not talking to you, Flynn."

Andy picked up his pace, trying not to pull too strongly on the leashes as he stepped around an in front of the dogs. "Wait! What happened?"

"Ask her."

"Jack, for the love of God, wait a minute!"

Their paths crossed just a few feet from the Volvo and between Andy and the dogs blocking his way and his diminished stamina, Jack had no choice but to stop.

"Here." Andy clicked the key fob to lift the hatch of the car. "Sit down for a minute. You look like you're about to drop."

"Christ." Jack slumped down onto the gate, equally resentful and grateful for the seat. "I don't want to talk, Andy. Just let me catch my breath and I'm out of your way."

"Is Annie Grace okay?"

Jack huffed, a mirthless grin on his lips. "She's fine. Sleeping in her grandmother's loving arms."

"And Sharon?"

"Oh, Saint Sharon is disappointed in me and spouting her self-righteous bullshit, you know, the usual."

Andy rolled his eyes as he lowered himself to the other side of the opening. "Which must mean she offered help that you resented, and she is calling on you to do the right thing when it comes to your kids."

"Oh, fuck you, Flynn," Jack attempted to stand, but a bout of dizziness led to him falling back onto the gate. "Dammit!"

Ignoring Jack, Andy reached behind him and opened a small ice chest to retrieve a bottle of water. "Here." The slumped, scowling man on his left ignoring his offer, he rested the bottle against Jack's thigh before pulling a large dog dish from the cargo netting on his right which he filled with another bottle of water for the dogs.

Watching the girls happy lapping from the bowl, he waited until Jack finally opened his own bottle and took a drink to ask, "Are you in pain?"

Screwing the lid back on the bottle, Jack shrugged. "Only every minute of every day."

"You drinking?"

"Nah. Just makes me throw up."

"Sharon said you don't want to tell the kids."

"Don't start…"

Andy lifted his hands. "I'm not. God knows I'll never win any father of the year awards, Jack, so I have no right to lecture you about your kids, but I do love them and I'm always going to watch out for them. I want you to know that. I promised Sharon I would when we had her heart scare, and so I'll make you the same promise."

Jack threw back another swig of water before letting his head fall to the side, regarding the profile of his ex-wife's husband. "You remember the old days? We had a good time at McGinty's, you and me. You remember that place?"

Andy instantly recalled the corner bar with its dark paneling and the mustachioed owner-bartender Dermot who had filled more beer mugs and shot glasses for the cronies in the late eighties than Andy could count.

"Yeah. I can still smell the charming scent of stale cigarette smoke mixed with urinal cakes."

Jack chuckled before sitting up and reciting: "There are many good reasons for drinking. One has just entered my head. If a man doesn't drink when he's living how the hell can he drink when he's dead."

"I remember that. It was on a sign hanging between the sinks in the john, right?"

"Yeah, and someone had taken a marker and changed all the "i's" to look like dicks."

Andy chuckled, "That's right. Classy."

"So, my comrade in cups, what happened? I showed up one night and the barstool next to me was empty, and then the night after that, and then then night after that, and here we are thirty-odd years later and my drinking buddy is sleeping with my wife."

Such a comment from Jack would once have set Andy's heartrate skyrocketing, but the passage of time and his sense of allegiance to Sharon allowed him to calmly reply, "She's my wife now, Jack, but you know what? It doesn't matter, and just to be clear, I'm not gonna fight with you."

"Because I'm dying?"

Andy shook his head and shrugged. "Because it wouldn't be a fair fight."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really, because no matter what either one of says, I'm still gonna be the one sleeping next to Sharon tonight and the one taking Annie Grace for a snow cone when we leave here today. I get Christmas mornings and first communions and birthdays and hundreds of other days I probably don't deserve but will damn well cherish and you're in a spot, pal. It's a bitch, but it's the way things are."

Jack would have preferred Andy punch him in the gut than have confronted him with a genteel, yet very real version of the truth. His exhaustion extinguishing the normal fire Andy's words would have ignited, he could only manage, "Shit, Flynn, you've been taking lessons from her, haven't you? Slip the knife in quickly but twist it slowly."

Andy ignore the comment and instead softly offered, "You could stay with us."

Jack groaned. "Yeah, she already tried that."

"She did?" Andy was surprised by the news. He and Sharon hadn't even discussed the possibility.

"It's why I left. I don't need your help, either of you."

"That's where you're wrong. You may not _want _our help, but I think you very much _need_ it."

The hydration and few minutes of rest giving him a boost, Jack pushed himself onto his feet, a sense of finality in his words as he bluntly stated, "I don't _want_ or _need_ anything from either of you. Look, I appreciate you letting me see the baby today, but that's it. I'll contact _my_ kids, but you two can leave me the hell alone."

"What about letting Sharon know when you've…when you've done it."

Jack took a few steps in the direction of his car. "I'll figure something else out."

"Don't be like that. You'll cool off in a few days."

Jack continued his slow trek towards his vehicle. "Goodbye, Flynn."

Watching the defeated man lumber away, Andy found himself on his feet and calling out, "I'll do it."

Jack stop mid-stride as Andy's words hung in the air.

"I'll stay with you when you do it. I'll take care of things."

Slowly turning back towards the car, Jack regarded Andy for a moment. "Why are you offering?"

Andy's answer was immediate and heartfelt. "Because I love the people who love you."

Jack couldn't help but smile and shake his head. "Maybe they'll put you on a candle, too."

"What?"

"Never mind. Doesn't matter. What'll you tell Sharon?"

"That's my problem."

"So, what? I just call you?"

"Yeah. We'll work it out, but you know you can call me anytime, Jack."

The men held one another's gaze for a few moments until Jack gave a simple nod and turned, his gait slow, but somehow lighter than it had been a few minutes before.

"Well, you're in it now, Flynn," Andy whispered to himself before sitting back down on the gait and closing his eyes for a few minutes as he considered the gravity of his offer.

* * *

"He's gone?"

His head jerked up and he opened his eyes to find a heavily laden Sharon standing a few feet away.

"Here, honey, give me those bags. Why didn't you text me to come help?"

Letting him take the insulated bag, backpack, and blanket as she continued to hold their sleeping granddaughter, she answered, "I could see you two were talking and I didn't want to interrupt. What did he say?"

The couldn't begin to fathom how, or even if, he would broach the fact that he had offered to assist Jack in his death with her, so he opted for ambiguity over truth as he said, "A whole lot of nothing. He's still hell bent on going out his own way and doesn't want the kids to know. Stubborn jackass."

Sharon sighed and rested her cheek against the baby's head. "Well, at least he didn't upset her."

The dogs and bags safely loaded into the back of the car, he helped Sharon load Annie Grace into her car seat, kissing the baby's head as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, sleepy-time. You still want Gandy to get you a snow cone?"

A sweet smile on Annie Grace's face, she whispered, "Pease," and then closed her eyes, falling back asleep before he managed to climb into the driver's seat, his mind still spinning from the exchange with Jack.

They were nearing the park's exit when he felt Sharon's hand squeeze his thigh. "You okay, honey? You seem…out of it."

"Yeah, no. Sorry. I'm good. I'm going to stop and get lovebug a snow cone at the stand around the block. You want anything?"

Sharon glanced over her shoulder. "She's out like a light, honey. She won't remember if we don't."

"We can put it in the freezer. A promise is a promise."

"You're too sweet, Andy Flynn."

He forced himself to smile and pat her hand, although he felt a painful twist in his stomach as he wondered if she would feel the same if he kept another promise.


	5. Chapter 5

Due to extreme anonymous trolling/bullying, I won't be finishing this story or posting more Shandy stories.

I do appreciate all the kind, supportive reviews and PMs I received for this and my other piece, but there is a toxic person or persons hellbent on making me miserable and I won't subject myself to that kind of treatment.

Again, I so appreciate the kindness.


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